pioneering

[pahy-uh-neer-ing]

adjective

1. being a pioneer, one of the first to settle a region, thus opening it for occupation and development by others.

   This early pioneering family helped open up western Victoria in Australia.

2. being among the first in any field of inquiry or activity; being among those spearheading an initiative of some kind.

   Ours is a pioneering institution, continually advancing the understanding of medicine through groundbreaking research.

3. Ecology.,  (of an organism) successfully establishing itself in a barren area, thus starting an ecological cycle of life.

   Pioneering species can initiate recovery on drastically disturbed sites like that of the former gas plant.

noun

1. the act or process of being a pioneer; the early settling of land, or the first forays into some type of activity.

   I read about that forward-thinking doctor in an article on the pioneering of in vitro fertilization.

Other Word Forms

• unpioneering adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pioneering¹

First recorded in 1700–10; pioneer ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; pioneer ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun sense

Example Sentences

“Sèvres Extraordinaire!” approaches its subject—pioneering, astonishing ceramic confections that are neither purely functional nor purely decorative but sui generis art, or “sculpture”—in the broadest sense.

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“I hope the President will join us in pioneering a real solution that levels the playing field with international competition.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A father with an incurable brain tumour has donated his tears to a pioneering study that could revolutionise how brain cancers are detected because he wants to "make a difference".

Read more on BBC

Last year, a pioneering European flying car firm was bought by a Chinese firm.

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Google's President and Chief Investment Officer Ruth Porat told BBC News in an exclusive interview that there were "profound opportunities in the UK" for its "pioneering work in advanced science".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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