Synonyms of avant-garde

avant-garde 1 of 2

adjective

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

• progressive
• advanced
• unconventional
• pioneering
• avant
• modern
• contemporary
• revolutionary
• underground
• original
• new
• cutting-edge
• state-of-the-art
• modernistic
• bizarre
• strange
• alternative
• current
• nontraditional
• novel
• outré
• unfamiliar
• antiestablishment
• trailblazing
• fresh
• ultramodern
• unprecedented
• way-out
• unheard-of
• unknown
• far-out
• newfangled
• present-day
• hot
• unaccustomed
• up-to-date
• space-age
• new-fashioned
• mod
• red-hot

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• traditional
• conventional
• customary
• established
• orthodox

avant-garde

2 of 2

noun

ˌä-ˌvän(t)-ˈgärd 

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

• vanguard
• underground
• pioneer
• van
• cutting edge
• avant-gardist
• forerunner
• precursor
• trailblazer

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• establishment
• old guard

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of avant-garde

Adjective

The avant-garde legend is seen sitting in a kitchen alongside Martin Scorsese and Marc Jacobs — each one representing a component of music, fashion, and film. — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2026

Part of it was because Williams designed what his clients wanted rather than adhering to a strict aesthetic code, so he wasn’t considered an avant-garde architect. — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 24 June 2026

Noun

The Gelmans fraternized with Mexico’s bohemian avant-garde and hosted soirees at opulent residences in Mexico and New York. — Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

But for Wildmon and Buchanan, in-your-face avant-garde art was an insult to the average person, certainly the average American Christian. — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 13 July 2026