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

The county has become a trendsetter in other types of environmental legislation …

—Chemical & Engineering News

Synonyms of trendsetter

• leader
• pioneer

Examples of trendsetter in a Sentence

a closely watched trendsetter in women's fashions

Recent Examples on the Web

While the wide-leg denim trend is making way for slimmer styles in 2026, most fashion-forward celebs and trendsetters have doubled-down on baggy denim by letting their hems puddle to the ground, as if to viscerally reject any semblance of structure. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 12 Apr. 2026

An off-the-shoulder top As a model and trendsetter in her own right, Damas has an eye for what’s popular each season. —Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 2026

In 2015, the Jenner sisters proved to be the ultimate trendsetters in ensembles (and one bright blue wig) that had the internet buzzing. —Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026

This crisis feels particularly acute because the state’s legacy as a trendsetter is rooted in the mid-20th century. —Markos Kounalakis, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for trendsetter

• abettor
• newsletter
• typesetter
• better
• bettor
• debtor
• fetter
• getter
• letter
• netter
• petar
• petter