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

• leader
• pioneer

Examples of trendsetter in a Sentence

a closely watched trendsetter in women's fashions

Recent Examples on the Web

By starting with focused, high-impact initiatives and scaling with intent, organizations will not just keep pace but become the trendsetters of tomorrow. —Nitesh Mirchandani, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

From vintage boho to cherry red, fashion has always influenced the next big thing in interior design—and this fall, ready-to-wear shows revealed that a personal, warm aesthetic is top of mind for trendsetters. —Ginger Perra, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Sep. 2025

Now, imagine a similar top with the capri trousers fashion editors and trendsetters can't stop raving about. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 1 Sep. 2025

Since creating the Kith brand 14 years ago, the company has become a perennial favorite of young trendsetters and sneakerheads. —Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 11 Aug. 2025

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