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vanguard

noun

ˈvan-ˌgärd How to pronounce vanguard (audio)
Definition of vanguardnext
1
as in pioneer
the innovators of new concepts, styles, and techniques especially in the arts a style of jazz that the vanguard quickly recognized as new and exciting

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in forefront
the leading or most important part of a movement talk radio is often regarded as being in the vanguard of the conservative movement

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 vanguard The great technological leaps in American history have often featured influential industrialists who step forward as vanguards, leading the way to a better tomorrow while emerging as major players in extreme endeavors. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 3 Aug. 2026 Columbia waded into the rock vanguard after Davis attended the Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967 at the behest of its organizer Lou Adler, whose Ode Records was distributed by CBS. — Chris Morris, Variety, 22 June 2026 Linklater was a vanguard of the indie film movement of the 1990s. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026 If experimental and vanguard poetry is set on fragmenting the lyric I, verse plays and poet’s theater redistribute it. — Literary Hub, 29 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for vanguard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vanguard
  1. pioneer
  2. forefront
  3. underground
  4. avant-garde
Noun
  • Columbus stood in his age as the pioneer of progress and enlightenment.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Taaki was an early bitcoin pioneer and in 2015 fought for a socialist militia group battling the Islamic State in Syria.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of pioneer
Noun
  • For starters, a recording artist isn’t at the forefront of the pack.
    — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026
  • In a game that the New York Giants converted 9-of-11 third down attempts, ran for 165 yards and won the time of possession battle by over 13 minutes, the questions around the defense’s performance over the last two years are back at the forefront.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of forefront
Noun
  • Mazama Energy has raised $135 million to accelerate the commercial development of superhot rock geothermal energy, a technology designed to produce large amounts of reliable, carbon-free electricity from extreme heat underground.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
  • There’s the proscriptive Christian culture; there’s a drag and gay dance-club underground engineered to sidestep it.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of underground
Noun
  • In this sense, the first avant-garde constructed a modern vision of Cuba, one whose The first Cuban avant-garde helped shape a modern vision of the country’s national identity, viewing it as a cultural and social achievement.
    — Dennys Matos, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026
  • De Kooning, arguably the most widely revered of America’s 20th-century avant-garde artists, took the language of drawing, ripped it up, and rearranged it.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of avant-garde

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Cite this Entry

“Vanguard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vanguard. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on vanguard

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about vanguard

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