AVANT Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

avant

adjective

ˈä-ˌvän(t)

Definition of avant

as in progressive

being or employing the latest concepts, styles, or techniques readers of this very avant novel should not expect to find much in the way of traditional narrative structure

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of avant For electronic music that is just as awe-inducing, there’s the ambient-pop artist Laurel Halo (Pioneer Works; June 25), the eclectic avant-rap producer Flying Lotus, playing with a live band (Blue Note; July 8-9), and the psychedelic composer Dan Deacon (Pioneer Works; July 31). — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 May 2026 Since 1962 the same family has owned and run Aimo e Nadia, featuring avant garden cuisine. — John Mariani, Forbes.com, 16 Mar. 2026 Top of the News This ambitious fine dining restaurant’s tasting menu has an eye toward avant garde visuals, but the progression of courses is high octane. — Cesar Hernandez, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Feb. 2026 In Rye’s place, Agar and his business partner will expand their avant garde cocktail bar, Apothecary. — Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas Morning News, 1 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for avant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for avant

Adjective

The move signals Johnson will up his effort to reach Chicagoans on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok with his progressive message.

— Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Talarico, a former school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian serving his fourth term in the Texas House of Representatives, made waves in national politics through a combination of progressive values grounded in religious doctrine.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of progressive

Adjective

Talent flight across many ASEAN economies prevents them from developing the technocratic capacity needed for advanced technology and energy sectors.

— Brian Wong, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026
The July hack by rogue OpenAI autonomous agents on open-source developer platform Hugging Face accelerated the shift and proved that the era of advanced AI hacks had arrived.

— Samantha Subin, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of advanced

Adjective

Gloria Steinem, the pioneering feminist, journalist, and activist who spent more than six decades fighting for women’s equality, died on September 2, 2026, at age 92.

— Gloria Steinem, Glamour, 4 Sep. 2026
Soon after, the pioneering pygmy raccoon died, likely from a combination of malnutrition and toxic exposure to human trash, according to the study.

— Isabel Gil, Scientific American, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of pioneering

Adjective

Screening the electron interactions weakened and ultimately eliminated superconductivity, supporting an unconventional mechanism for electron pairing.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
Inspired by the unconventional materials and craftsmanship of studio jewelry, the couple fell in love with art jewelry as collectible material culture.

— Livia Caligor, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of unconventional

Adjective

The Little Review was an avant-garde literary magazine founded by Margaret Anderson in 1914 and published out of Chicago’s Fine Arts Building.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2026
While the Kitchen had increasingly opened its doors to fusions of minimalism and rock music practiced by fellow downtown composers like Rhys Chatham, the avant-garde had not cottoned onto disco.

— Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 27 June 2026

Definition of avant-garde

Adjective

In Britain’s North Yorkshire, researchers have established an underground farming facility more than 1,000 meters below ground to test how crops can be cultivated deep beneath the surface.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2026
Unmade follows the legendary underground filmmaker through three years of terminal illness—not as a farewell portrait, but as a final, uncompromising work of his own cinema.

— Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of underground

Adjective

While the wider world has in recent decades fallen for the archipelago’s humble street food, there’s a rising number of contemporary chefs who are elevating the national cuisine on the global stage.

— Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026
There’s no question Andrew Scott, the 49-year-old Irish actor, has earned his position as one of the finest contemporary actors going.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026