progressive

1 being far along in development progressive forms of animal life Synonyms developed, evolved, forward, high, higher, improved, late, advanced, refinedRelated Words precocious; full-blown, full-fledged, full-scale; aged, grown, mature, matured, perfected, ripe, ripened; civilized, educated, enhanced, enlightened; contemporary, current, cutting-edge, latest, leading-edge, mod, modern, new, newest, newfangled, new-fashioned, novel, now, present-day, recent, space-age, supermodern, ultramodern, up-to-dateNear Antonyms green, immature, underdeveloped, undersized (also undersize), underweight, unripe, unripened; savage, uncivilized, uneducated; early, embryonic, germinal, primeval, primordial; antediluvian, antiquated, antique, dated, fusty, hoary, musty, Neanderthal (or Neandertal), obsolete, old, oldfangled, old-fashioned, old-time, out-of-date, outworn, passé, pastAntonyms backward, low, lower, nonprogressive, primitive, retarded, rude, rudimentary, undeveloped

2 not bound by traditional ways or beliefs a socially progressive community, it was the first to provide for the public education of girls Synonyms broad-minded, nonconventional, nonorthodox, nontraditional, open-minded, liberal, radical, unconventional, unorthodoxRelated Words advanced, contemporary, modern; forbearing, indulgent, large-minded, lenient, permissive, tolerant; extreme; impartial, objective, unbiasedNear Antonyms hard, rigid, strict; doctrinal, dogmatic (also dogmatical); bigoted, blinkered, intolerant, narrow-minded; reactionary, unreconstructedAntonyms conservative, conventional, hidebound, nonprogressive, old-fashioned, orthodox, stodgy, traditional

3 being or employing the latest concepts, styles, or techniques one of the founders of progressive dance, Isadora Duncan became an inspiration to an array of free-spirited artists Synonyms advanced, avant-garde, cutting-edge, avant, state-of-the-artRelated Words pioneering, revolutionary, trailblazing; alternative, antiestablishment, nontraditional, unconventional, underground; bizarre, far-out, outré, way-out; fresh, new, novel, original; strange, unaccustomed, unfamiliar, unheard-of, unknown, unprecedented; contemporary, current, hot, mod, modern, modernistic, newfangled, new-fashioned, present-day, red-hot, space-age, ultramodern, up-to-dateNear Antonyms conventional, customary, established, orthodox, traditional