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
Jon Burlingame, Variety, 12 Mar. 2023
The nude, floor-length frock hinted at old Hollywood, perhaps a nod to mom Janet Leigh, but with the avant-garde touch of exterior boning in the corset.
—Christopher Muther, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Mar. 2023
India Espy-Jones, Essence, 9 Apr. 2025
Serpenti Aeterna reveals a new jeweled, avant-garde take on the Maison’s iconic reptile.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for avant-garde
Adjective
Active in avant-garde music on the European music scene, Bertelmann frequently employs prepared piano and electronics.
—Jon Burlingame, Variety, 12 Mar. 2023
The nude, floor-length frock hinted at old Hollywood, perhaps a nod to mom Janet Leigh, but with the avant-garde touch of exterior boning in the corset.
—Christopher Muther, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Mar. 2023
Noun
No look has to be permanent, and with 2025’s most popular looks leaning into avant-garde classics, taking your hair to a new height is this season’s most palpable trends.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 9 Apr. 2025
Serpenti Aeterna reveals a new jeweled, avant-garde take on the Maison’s iconic reptile.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for avant-garde
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avant-garde
Adjective
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Francis, who was a progressive leader of the church, had appointed roughly 80% of the cardinals who are eligible to vote for the new pope, according to Miles Pattenden, historian of the Catholic Church at Oxford University.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Joseph Tobin Joseph Tobin, 72, is a highly progressive candidate for the Church and has amassed substantial influence in the U.S.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Writer-director Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, out December 25, aims to lead the latest in the fang-banging vanguard.—
Angela Watercutter,
WIRED,
25 Dec. 2024
-
Katy Perry 39, received this year's video vanguard award and treated viewers to a medley of her biggest hits — plus, presumably, material from her upcoming 143 album.—
Jack Irvin,
Peoplemag,
12 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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The first-generation satellite system will include more than 3,200 advanced low-Earth orbit satellites, which will be delivered across more than 80 launches in the coming years.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2025
-
However, QuickBooks Desktop is better-suited for businesses requiring strong job costing, advanced reporting, and industry-specific versions.—
Gene Marks,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The city this month began drilling at Del Prado Park, the first of several sites being explored to find safe, potable water underground.—
Kyle Martin,
The Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2025
-
In the ever-evolving cyber underground, ransomware extortionists have grown to become perhaps the most sophisticated and formidable threat.—
Etay Maor,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The mill embraces the beauty of imperfection and asymmetry in Chaos Aesthetics, a trend concept that favors expressive textures, unconventional finishes and rich tactile experiences.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
17 Apr. 2025
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The generational gap in honesty found in the survey comes amid a broader trend of unconventional job-search behaviors among younger candidates, including ghosting employers and abandoning the hiring process midway.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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His tunes draw on a broad spectrum of Black American music, seamlessly encompassing blues, funk and R&B along with bebop and avant garde directions forged by Ornette Coleman (which are also steeped in the blues).—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2025
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The collection Olsen’s gown hails from was rife with avant, flowing takes on bows, whether at the shoulders of pastel dresses or at the hips of drop waist dresses or tailored jackets.—
Marissa Muller,
WWD,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Despite the awkward journey to this match, Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton created a babyface vs. heel dynamic that is hard to come by given how jaded modern wrestling fans have become.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
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For us as Jews, Easter has far more sinister overtones — of the passages from the Gospels that gave birth to modern antisemitism, of passion plays, pogroms, and emotional fuel for the literal fires that consumed our people.—
Joshua Stanton,
New York Daily News,
20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But contemporary critics such as Arthur Kropp, the president in 1991 of the progressive advocacy group People for the American Way, did see the dustup as a portent way back then.—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
18 Apr. 2025
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Photo: Dominique Ricci While Quinta da Comporta offers a serene and nature-centric retreat, Sublime Comporta brings a more upscale, contemporary experience to the region.—
Monica Mendal,
Vogue,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Avant-garde.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avant-garde. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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