advanced

American  

[ad-vanst, -vahnst] / ædˈvænst, -ˈvɑnst /

adjective

1. placed ahead or forward.

   with one foot advanced.

2. ahead or far or further along in progress, complexity, knowledge, skill, etc..

   an advanced class in Spanish;

   to take a course in advanced mathematics;

   Our plans are too advanced to make the change now.

3. pertaining to or embodying ideas, practices, attitudes, etc., taken as being more enlightened or liberal than the standardized, established, or traditional.

   advanced theories of child care;

   the more advanced members of the artistic community.

4. far along in time.

   the advanced age of most senators.

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advanced British  

/ ədˈvɑːnst /

adjective

1. being ahead in development, knowledge, progress, etc

   advanced studies

2. having reached a comparatively late stage

   a man of advanced age

3. ahead of the times

   advanced views on religion

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Other Word Forms

• well-advanced adjective

Etymology

Origin of advanced

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; advance + -ed ²

Explanation

Use the adjective advanced to describe something that's ahead, especially in terms of growth or development. Your plans to build the world's best tree house are at an advanced stage if you're nearly ready to add a roof and invite your friends to visit. Things are advanced when they happen early or are ahead of the curve or above average. Your advanced reading ability in elementary school might have had your teachers scrambling to keep you interested, and if a scientist's cancer vaccine is at an advanced stage, it's nearly ready to be tested on people. Advanced comes from the verb advance, which comes from the Old French avancier, "move forward," from a Late Latin root word, abante, "from before."

Example Sentences

In its worst case scenario where global growth is cut to 2% this year, the hit to emerging markets and developing economies would be almost double that felt by advanced economies.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Replimune submitted additional data showing that cancer in responding patients advanced after a median 30.6 months when they also got RP1, versus 4.4 months of being treated with other immunotherapies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Arend Kapteyn, global head of economics and strategy research at UBS, said the bank tracks inflation across roughly 45 major advanced and emerging economies, representing more than 85% of global GDP.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

The findings indicate that Lystrosaurus hatchlings were likely precocial, meaning they were born at an advanced stage of development.

From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026

She advanced on the creatures, who backed away with nervous whines.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• leading
• progressive
• state-of-the-art