avant-garde

American  

[uh-vahnt-gahrd, uh-vant-, av-ahnt-, ah-vahnt-, a-vahn-gard] / əˌvɑntˈgɑrd, əˌvænt-, ˌæv ɑnt-, ˌɑ vɑnt-, a vɑ̃ˈgard /

noun

1. the advance group in any field, especially in the visual, literary, or musical arts, whose works are characterized chiefly by unorthodox and experimental methods.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the experimental treatment of artistic, musical, or literary material.

2. belonging to the avant-garde.

   an avant-garde composer.

3. unorthodox or daring; radical.

   To regain public trust in the news media, the organization took the avant-garde approach of including the public in the production of news.

avant-garde British  

/ avɑ̃ɡard, ˌævɒŋˈɡɑːd /

noun

1. those artists, writers, musicians, etc, whose techniques and ideas are markedly experimental or in advance of those generally accepted

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adjective

1. of such artists, etc, their ideas, or techniques

2. radical; daring

Usage

What does avant-garde mean? From the French, avant-garde describes experimental or innovative art or design, or the group of people who make them and push the envelope in their field. It can also more generally refer to anything considered "unorthodox" or "radical."

Other Word Forms

• avant-gardism
  noun
• avant-gardist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of avant-garde

First recorded in 1475–85; in sense “vanguard”; from French: literally, “fore-guard;” see vanguard

Explanation

The term avant-garde refers to innovative or experimental concepts or works, or the group of people producing them. Pushing boundaries with his development of Cubism, Pablo Picasso was part of the early 20th-century art world’s avant-garde. In French, avant-garde means the “vanguard” or the “advance guard” — basically the people and ideas that are ahead of their time. Usually it refers to a movement in the arts, like Dadaism, or in politics, like anarchism. Avant-garde can also be used as an adjective to describe something that’s cutting-edge. You might have enjoyed that avant-garde dance piece in which the performers threw marshmallows at each other, even though it was confusing at times.

Example Sentences

The competition had its first African American winner, 14-year-old Zaila Avant-Garde, in 2021.

From BBC • May 31, 2023

Representatives of Mr. Aven and the Museum of Avant-Garde Mastery did not respond to requests for comment.

From New York Times • Apr. 12, 2022

“Hollywood Arensberg: Avant-Garde Collecting in Midcentury L.A.,” set to be released Oct.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2020

The National Institute on Drug Abuse announced Wednesday that it has awarded three scientists the Avant-Garde award for their HIV/AIDS prevention research.

From Washington Times • Apr. 5, 2017

He has been a Westsider for 15 years, and his publishing company, Avant-Garde Media, is located on West 57th Street.

From 100 New Yorkers of the 1970s by Millard, Max

Related Words

• advanced
• ahead of its time
• experimental
• groundbreaking
• innovative
• innovatory
• inventive
• modern
• new
• original
• pioneering
• progressive
• revolutionary
• state-of-the-art
• trailblazing
• ultramodern
• unorthodox