trendsetter

noun

trend·​set·​ter ˈtren(d)-ˌse-tər How to pronounce trendsetter (audio)
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

Examples of trendsetter in a Sentence

a closely watched trendsetter in women's fashions
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Many items originally featured in the 1925 Paris showcase, which cemented the French capital’s reputation as the trendsetter for modern decorative arts, though the design movement originated a decade earlier and the term Art Deco wasn’t coined until much later. Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2025 To stand out from the crowd and be a trendsetter, clip on a Hirono or Hacipupu . Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 16 Oct. 2025 Here, the actress is pictured at the Ralph Lauren SS23 Runway Show in October 2022 in San Marino, California — a nod to her enduring legacy as a style trendsetter with a one-of-a-kind fashion sense. Kim Hubbard, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for trendsetter

Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trendsetter was in 1936

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Cite this Entry

“Trendsetter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trendsetter. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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