trendsetter
noun
trend·set·ter
ˈtren(d)-ˌse-tər 
variants
or less commonly trend-setter
plural trendsetters also trend-setters
: one that sets a trend : someone or something that starts or helps to popularize a new fashion, style, movement, etc.
a trendsetter in the fashion industry
Every ten years or so, for a different set of reasons each time, cultural trendsetters rally behind one musician with whom they sense a bond and who then comes to symbolize jazz to the mass media.—
Francis Davis
Francis DavisThe county has become a trendsetter in other types of environmental legislation …—Chemical & Engineering News
Chemical & Engineering NewsExamples of trendsetter in a Sentence
a closely watched trendsetter in women's fashions
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet Spain sees itself not as a continental outlier but as a trendsetter.
—Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 13 May 2026
After first premiering in 2019, the HBO drama immediately became known as a beauty trendsetter, largely due to the attention to detail from Euphoria makeup department head Donni Davy.
—Hannah Kerns, PEOPLE, 10 May 2026
California has always been a trendsetter in that.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2026
Fortunately, the styles and silhouettes that were popular in the early 2000s (the era trendsetters are favoring) are particularly well-suited for travel thanks to their breathability and versatile nature.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trendsetter
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Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 13 May 2026
After first premiering in 2019, the HBO drama immediately became known as a beauty trendsetter, largely due to the attention to detail from Euphoria makeup department head Donni Davy.
—Hannah Kerns, PEOPLE, 10 May 2026
California has always been a trendsetter in that.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2026
Fortunately, the styles and silhouettes that were popular in the early 2000s (the era trendsetters are favoring) are particularly well-suited for travel thanks to their breathability and versatile nature.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trendsetter
Cite this Entry
“Trendsetter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trendsetter. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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