trendsetter

noun

trend·​set·​ter ˈtren(d)-ˌse-tər 

variants or less commonly trend-setter

plural trendsetters also trend-setters

: one that sets a trend : someone or something that starts or helps to popularize a new fashion, style, movement, etc.

a trendsetter in the fashion industry

Every ten years or so, for a different set of reasons each time, cultural trendsetters rally behind one musician with whom they sense a bond and who then comes to symbolize jazz to the mass media.

—Francis Davis

The county has become a trendsetter in other types of environmental legislation …

—Chemical & Engineering News

Synonyms

• bellwether
• leader
• pacemaker
• pacer
• pacesetter

Examples of trendsetter in a Sentence

a closely watched trendsetter in women's fashions

Recent Examples on the Web

These values have clearly resonated, with the brand being recognized as a trendsetter in modern home furnishings resulting in enthusiastic audiences across social media. —Chris Gallagher, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025

Fans have long trusted Martha Stewart’s expertise in gardening, hosting, crafting, and more, but she’s also been a long-time trendsetter in the world of fashion. —Maggie Horton, People.com, 16 Mar. 2025

Her influence as an inventor and a trendsetter has been profound. —Lauren Carpenter, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2025

The Beatles catered to their audience—masses of teenage girls now empowered as listeners and music trendsetters for the first time. —Sarah Holzmann, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for trendsetter

• abettor
• newsletter
• typesetter
• better
• bettor
• debtor
• fetter
• getter
• letter
• netter
• petar
• petter