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 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 Most notably, the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab or CSAIL, directed capably by my colleague Daniela Rus, is in there, where intrepid teams work on such vanguard projects as liquid AI models. — John Werner, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026 Now entering its third year, Athlos is among a new vanguard of professional track and field events aimed at modernizing the sport for the streaming era and growing its audience in non-Olympic years. — Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 20 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for vanguard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vanguard
  1. pioneer
  2. forefront
  3. underground
  4. avant-garde
Noun
  • The rewaxing and repairs service was first introduced in 1921, making the brand a sustainability pioneer.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026
  • After all, modern hikers and campers have access to tools the pioneers could never have imagined.
    — Elaine Reno, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of pioneer
Noun
  • More Black students are passing standardized tests across North Carolina’s biggest school districts, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is at the forefront of that change.
    — Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The post provides an unusually granular picture of how far the automation of AI research has gone inside one of the companies at the forefront of both creating AI systems and deploying them internally.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of forefront
Noun
  • 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
  • Since the late 1990s, taxpayers have been funding a program to stash extra Colorado River water underground, with the idea that it could be used as a backup in times of shortage.
    — Alex Hager, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of underground
Noun
  • Often rapping over drumless loops, Elsesser took inspiration from Yasiin Bey and the late Ka, the Brownsville MC and producer who spent his days as an FDNY captain and nights as a pillar of hip-hop’s avant-garde.
    — Jeff Weiss, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Among works by emerging jewelers and allies, the assortment features pivotal avant-garde names with a lasting influence on jewelry history who were closeted at the time.
    — Livia Caligor, Vogue, 4 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 11 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on vanguard

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about vanguard

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