1
as in pioneer
a person or group that originates new concepts, styles, and techniques
The Beatles are recognized as some of the greatest trailblazers of rock music.
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2
as in colonist
a person who settles in a new region
The Mayflower brought with it a group of European trailblazers, determined to make a home of that land dubbed "New England."
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Recent Examples of trailblazer
The 2025 Glamour Women of the Year Awards celebrated the trailblazers, activists, and culture-shifters who defined the last 12 months.
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Julia Teti, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
Since 1990, Glamour has honored the world’s most extraordinary women—trailblazers, rule breakers, visionaries, and champions who have defined each year.
—Glamour, 27 Oct. 2025
Sara Shallenberger Brown was a trailblazer for the family in terms of philanthropy.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Oct. 2025
Charley Pride, who died in 2020, was a Grammy-winning trailblazer and country music's first Black superstar.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trailblazer
Julia Teti, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
Since 1990, Glamour has honored the world’s most extraordinary women—trailblazers, rule breakers, visionaries, and champions who have defined each year.
—Glamour, 27 Oct. 2025
Sara Shallenberger Brown was a trailblazer for the family in terms of philanthropy.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Oct. 2025
Charley Pride, who died in 2020, was a Grammy-winning trailblazer and country music's first Black superstar.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trailblazer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trailblazer
Noun
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Family and love of God, integrity, grit, pioneer grit.—
Justin Ravitz,
USA Today,
11 Nov. 2025
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The resale pioneer’s third-quarter revenues increased 17 percent to $174 million, producing a gross merchandise volume of $520 million.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Britain’s loyalist supporters, for instance, tried repeatedly to weaponize their fellow colonists’ reflexive fear of foreigners, spreading ugly rumors that French Catholic soldiers had orders to persecute American Protestants, claim their lands for King Louis, and ban the speaking of English.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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The Beaver Moon takes its name from early Native American tribes as well as American colonists, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, when beavers begin sheltering in their lodges after gathering enough food to last the winter.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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But Earle, the 90-year-old oceanographer and explorer, says that cultural change is important, too.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
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This Halloween, step into stories where science meets terror, where contagions kill, landscapes devour explorers, and technology crushes the human soul.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trailblazer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trailblazer. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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