TRAILBLAZER Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

trailblazer

noun

Definition of trailblazer

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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Dissimilar Words

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of trailblazer Hillary Clinton appearing on CBS Mornings to speak about the late figure’s influence on her life as a fellow trailblazer for women’s equality. — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026 The outfit extends Nike’s basketball theme and spotlights Iverson’s legacy as a fashion trailblazer who helped reshape how NBA players dress and fueled broader conversations about style in sports. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 On Thursday, Woodward and other people Lamb championed helped lay the trailblazer to rest. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Ella Langley celebrated Parton as a trailblazer who helped open the doors for other women in music. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for trailblazer

Recent Examples of Synonyms for trailblazer

Noun

Zieha and Blue Bird were also described as pioneers for bringing organic, farm-to-table food to Kansas City at a time when this type of cuisine was entering the mainstream across the country.

— Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026
Graham Hughes | Bloomberg | Getty Images Yoshua Bengio is a Canadian computer scientist, considered to be a central pioneer of modern deep learning.

— Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of pioneer

Noun

Japan regained sovereignty over the island in the 1970s, but the American military still has a heavy presence there, continuing tensions between locals and the armed colonists surrounding them.

— Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
Robert had made a bunch of money in the importing business and was a loyalist to the king; Mary, perhaps without her husband’s knowledge, supported the colonist rebels.

— Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of colonist

Noun

Locals who saw the creature in the Bolivian Andes had mistaken it for an ordinary house cat, said biologist and National Geographic explorer Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, who was part of the research team that studied them.

— CBS News, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026
In Vintage Violence, Carter (Cole Sprouse) is an urban explorer who finds a haul of rare denim in a mineshaft.

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of explorer

Browse Nearby Words

trail

trailblazer

trailblazers

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Style

“Trailblazer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trailblazer. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of trailblazer

noun

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