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
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Recent Examples of avant-garde
Alastair Shuttleworth, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
The city is internationally recognized as a crucible for the art form, from Louis Armstrong’s presence here in the 1920s to the influence of the South Side’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) on the international avant-garde.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Julia Teti, Footwear News, 15 Jan. 2026
Now, the avant-garde Liu will be trying to help the U.S. win its first women's medal since Sasha Cohen in Turin in 2006, and perhaps the first gold medal since Sarah Hughes triumphed four years earlier at the Salt Lake City Games.
—CBS News, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for avant-garde
Adjective
Alan Vega continues Suicide’s interest in minimalist instrumentation and linear structures, but trades Rev’s avant-garde electronics for Hawk’s more digestible, Eddie Cochran-esque guitar.
—Alastair Shuttleworth, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
The city is internationally recognized as a crucible for the art form, from Louis Armstrong’s presence here in the 1920s to the influence of the South Side’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) on the international avant-garde.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Noun
The longtime model and frequent friend of Schiaparelli styled a look from the avant-garde Italian fashion house’s fall 2025 couture collection.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 15 Jan. 2026
Now, the avant-garde Liu will be trying to help the U.S. win its first women's medal since Sasha Cohen in Turin in 2006, and perhaps the first gold medal since Sarah Hughes triumphed four years earlier at the Salt Lake City Games.
—CBS News, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for avant-garde
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avant-garde
Adjective
-
But even at a progressive institution like Antioch, Coretta encountered the quiet betrayal of liberal hypocrisy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
But donations from progressive groups have only rarely flowed their way.—
Charles Duhigg,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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China’s presumptive position at AI’s vanguard marks a seismic shift.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
27 Jan. 2026
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As in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, Minneapolis has seen a layered civic uprising where a vanguard of protesters has gained strength as many others who don’t share progressive convictions joined in feeling, if not always in person.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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No Man's Sky's dogfighting model is notable for its shift from the simple, arcade combat present at launch to the more advanced systems in the game now.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Subran estimated that if China were to raise its household disposable-income share in GDP from the current 58% towards the 70% to 75% range observed in advanced economies, private consumption could rise by around 10 percentage points in GDP.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Pres, a veteran of the East Coast underground, became familiar with Gabe after hearing him rip a verse on billy woods’ 2022 album, Aethiopes.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The beauty of a fire underground is that heat rises.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Santa Familia, Cayo District, Belize The Cayo District is a charming and unconventional part of Belize that immediately feels warm and inviting.—
Kathleen Peddicord,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Expect sudden connections, unconventional relationships or shocking revelations within existing partnerships.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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But wow, how pioneering that was, a hundred years ago.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
29 Jan. 2026
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Europe came late to Rapa Nui, two centuries after Magellan led a pioneering Spanish expedition across the Pacific in 1521.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Cabin in the Sky, for its part, evokes artistry beyond the genre, like Stereolab’s Margarine Eclipse, where the Chicago avant-pop band struggled to process the loss of longtime member Mary Hansen.—
Mosi Reeves,
Rolling Stone,
25 Nov. 2025
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With her avant-groove sensibilities and refusal to color inside the lines, Lenae represents the fearless spirit fueling R&B’s new era.—
Carl Lamarre,
Billboard,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Between one and three of those finalists will be inducted into the Hall along with between three and five modern-era players from a group of 15 finalists.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Powell has always said central bank independence is essential to the stability of any modern economy.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Avant-garde.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avant-garde. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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