avant-garde 1 of 2

avant-garde

2 of 2

noun

as in vanguard
the innovators of new concepts, styles, and techniques especially in the arts to the theater world's avant-garde, the melodrama seemed like a very old-fashioned play whose time had come and gone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 avant-garde
Adjective
Active in avant-garde music on the European music scene, Bertelmann frequently employs prepared piano and electronics. Jon Burlingame, Variety, 12 Mar. 2023 The nude, floor-length frock hinted at old Hollywood, perhaps a nod to mom Janet Leigh, but with the avant-garde touch of exterior boning in the corset. Christopher Muther, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Mar. 2023
Noun
Manuscripts for Godard’s films are exceptionally rare, as Sotheby’s is promoting, due to the director’s avant-garde working style. Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2025 The brand is now synonymous with an impressive swath of cinema: films that are challenging and avant-garde; that were once maligned but have developed loyal followings; that threatened to be lost to time. Paula Mejía, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for avant-garde
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avant-garde
Adjective
  • Alon-Lee Green, the founding co-director of Standing Together, a progressive grassroots movement, told CNN that young people aren’t at fault for the extremist attitudes that are dividing wider Israeli society.
    Kara Fox, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025
  • California voters further reversed progressive policies by passing Proposition 36, which enhances penalties for theft and drug offenses.
    Carson Becker, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • At the swansong for a never-ending fashion month, Paris Fashion Week, a new vanguard of midwestern pop girls and swamp princesses made a statement with their glam.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Depop forecasts ‘indie vanguard’ as a defining aesthetic of the year, with individuality and spontaneity dominating fashion in an era ruled by hedonistic energy.
    Irina Grechko, refinery29.com, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • In addition, the Pentagon's future stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, will have many of the same cutting edge technologies in advanced materials, AI, propulsion and stealth.
    TARA COPP THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, arkansasonline.com, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Most experts agree that this is the most critical and challenging aspect of implementing an advanced CX analytics strategy.
    Forrester, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Salt water from the ocean or underground is rich in minerals and may provide the body with magnesium.
    Susan Bard, Health, 18 Mar. 2025
  • The property would include 36 parking spaces — 22 surface-level and 14 underground.
    Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Across sports and eras, there are too many examples of athletes with ‘unconventional’ form succeeding for ‘good form’ — whatever that is — to be truly necessary.
    Liam Tharme, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Barnes had an unconventional approach to art collecting, particularly through his focus on juxtaposing fine art with decorative pieces.
    Meredith Wolf Schizer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The collection Olsen’s gown hails from was rife with avant, flowing takes on bows, whether at the shoulders of pastel dresses or at the hips of drop waist dresses or tailored jackets.
    Marissa Muller, WWD, 22 Feb. 2025
  • The gentle, squishy textures of those loops, along with the work of avant jazz harp player Zeena Parkins, make for the strangely appropriate sonic backdrop of some of Björk’s most intimate and erotic songs.
    Al Shipley, SPIN, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • In early January, work finally restarted at the New Mestalla stadium in Valencia and a modern, 70,074-seater ground is now slated to be completed by 2027.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Both have their perks, but there are some significant advantages to choosing new construction — think modern designs, better energy efficiency, and less maintenance right off the bat.
    Shea Homes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Her work addresses important contemporary topics with empathy and depth.
    Jeryl Brunner, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
  • But even there the story of a princess — daughter of an emperor — allows one to draw comparison to contemporary times.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Avant-garde.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avant-garde. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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