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
His friendships with figures like Man Ray, Coco Chanel, and Jean Cocteau, along with his involvement in the Parisian avant-garde and surrealist circles, including Salvador Dalì and Lee Miller, influenced his style deeply. Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2025 Her three-dimensional ensemble is emblematic of Reed’s gender-fluid, avant-garde aesthetic. Hannah Malach, WWD, 20 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for avant-garde
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avant-garde
Adjective
  • In a heavily progressive city that voted 3-to-1 against President Donald Trump in November, there has been extensive disappointment over his initiatives since taking office.
    Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 4 Mar. 2025
  • This was especially true as business interests, working to undermine progressive New Deal labor policies such as a federal minimum wage and unemployment insurance, openly equated support for these policies with Communism.
    Rebecca Brenner Graham / Made by History, TIME, 4 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Black communities are usually at the creative vanguard, from Renaissance art movements to fashion and even colloquialisms.
    Jasmine Browley, Essence, 3 Mar. 2025
  • But the folks shepherding Command & Conquer, a vanguard series in the bygone genre of real-time strategy (RTS) games, are seemingly fueled by a different kind of Tiberium.
    Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Hackman died from a combination of severe heart disease, high blood pressure and advanced Alzheimer's disease, and was likely alone in the home with his dead wife for days, authorities said.
    Becca Longmire, People.com, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Once an automation infrastructure is established, companies looking to scale their IA investment should consider adopting a unified intelligent automation platform, which is a more advanced form of IA that integrates data, automation, intelligence and visualization into a single cohesive system.
    Preetpal Singh, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Formed in 1966 in Canterbury, Kent, Soft Machine made a name for themselves on the London underground circuit playing a jazzy take on psychedelic prog-rock that eventually earned them slots opening for Pink Floyd and, in the U.S., Jimi Hendrix.
    Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2025
  • The toolkit was first put up for sale on a Russian criminal underground forum for $2,500 in Oct. 2024.
    Davey Winder, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • However, the path to gaining such a naturalized vision of peace requires us to revisit some of the lessons of unconventional diplomacy that consider broader planetary imperatives of sustainability.
    Saleem H. Ali, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
  • Guests flocked to the espresso martini bar (which concealed a secret door leading to a private lounge where a few discreetly slipped away) or lounged in the outdoor living room, where swinging beds served as unconventional seating.
    Jamila Stewart, Vogue, 1 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
  • Her brand offers nearly 1,000 items that blend seamlessly with modern, country farmhouse, coastal, or traditional home aesthetics.
    Rachel Trujillo, People.com, 3 Mar. 2025
  • As a result, visitors can enjoy modern comforts while also being surrounded by nature.
    Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The turn to refusal as a tactic has gained purchase over the past decade in contemporary Indigenous artistic and intellectual circles owing to the writing of Indigenous-studies scholars such as Audra Simpson and Glen Coulthard.
    Christopher T. Green, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
  • Singalong 2025 with Phil Wickham Oakdale Theatre, 95 S. Turnpike Road, Wallingford The contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Phil Wickham is at The Oakdale with Cody Carnes and Kristian Stanfill.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 1 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 13 Mar. 2025.

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