as in progressive
being or employing the latest concepts, styles, or techniques
a very avant-garde artist whose works wouldn't even be considered art by many traditionalists
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in vanguard
the innovators of new concepts, styles, and techniques especially in the arts
to the theater world's avant-garde, the melodrama seemed like a very old-fashioned play whose time had come and gone
Synonyms & Similar Words
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-garde
Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 6 June 2026
His legacy of creating avant-garde timepieces lives on in the growing popularity of vintage Patek Philippe watches on gold mesh bracelets.
—Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 3 June 2026
Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 3 June 2026
Grace Gummer seized the moment in an avant-garde Issey Miyake look from the spring 2026 collection—a sheer black dress festooned with black fabric spikes that looked like she was wrapped in a string of seaweed.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for avant-garde
Adjective
While the avant-garde artist has since retreated from the spotlight, reportedly moving to a farm in upstate New York in 2020, her children have provided occasional updates on her life.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 6 June 2026
His legacy of creating avant-garde timepieces lives on in the growing popularity of vintage Patek Philippe watches on gold mesh bracelets.
—Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 3 June 2026
Noun
His legacy of creating avant-garde timepieces lives on in the growing popularity of vintage Patek Philippe watches on gold mesh bracelets.
—Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 3 June 2026
Grace Gummer seized the moment in an avant-garde Issey Miyake look from the spring 2026 collection—a sheer black dress festooned with black fabric spikes that looked like she was wrapped in a string of seaweed.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for avant-garde
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avant-garde
Adjective
-
This inequality demonstrates a particular kind of economic and political harm that targets racially diverse and politically progressive young people.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
In her campaign to be LA’s next mayor, Raman launched a progressive, left-wing bid to oust Bass from within the Democratic Party.—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
If experimental and vanguard poetry is set on fragmenting the lyric I, verse plays and poet’s theater redistribute it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
-
Most notably, the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab or CSAIL, directed capably by my colleague Daniela Rus, is in there, where intrepid teams work on such vanguard projects as liquid AI models.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
Fable 5, in particular, marked the first time that Anthropic released such an advanced offering to the public, thanks to new safeguards that block responses in specific high-risk areas.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
13 June 2026
-
Even in the 1970s, the RAND Corporation, a US thinktank, was investigating how Dassault managed to field advanced fighter jets on time and at a cost well below US manufacturers.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
Dozens of young girls unexpectedly emerged from a drain in the patio of a Rockland County restaurant Wednesday after taking an unauthorized trek underground.—
Naveen Dhaliwal,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
-
Visitors help the staff dig and build a traditional imu underground with volcanic rocks, banana stumps, ti leaves and burlap sacks, and then fill the pit with mea ʻai staples like kālua pork, chicken, taro, yams and breadfruit.—
Joe Yogerst,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
The merger chatter has been fueled in part by SpaceX’s unconventional, and some experts say, unprecedented, governance structure.—
Morgan Brennan,Harriet Taylor,
CNBC,
12 June 2026
-
Aureus Vita Fibonacci Dry Gin earned its Gold Outstanding medal in one of the competition's most creative categories — a space where producers lean hard on local ingredients and unconventional botanical combinations to stand out.—
Hudson Lindenberger,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
The Thalberg, named for the pioneering MGM executive, goes to a creative producer whose body of work consistently reflects a high standard of motion picture production.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
10 June 2026
-
Meanwhile, a pioneering performer who is also a prominent critic of Israel also made history at the awards.—
Philissa Cramer,
Sun Sentinel,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Today’s avant-gardistes are opening new addresses along rue Jean de La Fontaine, Auteuil’s main thoroughfare, that are helping reinvigorate the village while keeping its history and tradition close.—
Mary Winston Nicklin,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Walk through a gallery of bronze busts immortalizing the game's greatest players and learn about the evolution of the game from the days of leather helmets to modern gear.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
That's far lower than the traditional 90-day window, and significantly lower than the more modern 45-day barrier.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Avant-garde.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avant-garde. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
