avant-garde

1 of 2

noun

ˌä-ˌvän(t)-ˈgärd How to pronounce avant-garde (audio)
ˌa-;
ə-ˈvänt-ˌgärd;
ˌa-ˌvōⁿ-ˈgärd,
ˌa-ˌvȯn(t)-ˈgärd
: an intelligentsia that develops new or experimental concepts especially in the arts
the avant-garde in the film industry
avant-gardism noun
avant-gardist noun

avant-garde

2 of 2

adjective

: of or relating to an avant-garde
avant-garde writers
an avant-garde filmmaker

Examples of avant-garde in a Sentence

Noun to the theater world's avant-garde, the melodrama seemed like a very old-fashioned play whose time had come and gone Adjective a very avant-garde artist whose works wouldn't even be considered art by many traditionalists
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
The star attraction in the hotel's Las Vegas counterpart is called Awakening which was also originally designed by Dragone and features avant-garde acrobatics and huge puppets. Caroline Reid, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 Is this question posed on the big screen as a DC movie too avant-garde? Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
Since the house’s inception, in 1988, Margiela had been known for an avant-garde mentality, paired with classical technique. Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2023 Instead of showing up in something avant-garde, Dakota drew attention with a black halter-style midi dress with a deep V-neckline. Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 18 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for avant-garde 

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

French, vanguard

First Known Use

Noun

1849, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of avant-garde was in 1849

Dictionary Entries Near avant-garde

Cite this Entry

“Avant-garde.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avant-garde. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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