advanced
Americanadjective
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placed ahead or forward.
with one foot advanced.
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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.
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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.
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far along in time.
the advanced age of most senators.
adjective
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being ahead in development, knowledge, progress, etc
advanced studies
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having reached a comparatively late stage
a man of advanced age
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ahead of the times
advanced views on religion
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Legislators advanced bills, backed by California’s powerful trial lawyer trade group, aimed at policing the state’s legal industry, which has been bruised by ‘a wave of inappropriate attorney conduct’ highlighted by The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
"Investment in data centres has the potential to create new economic opportunities and support skilled employment, while strengthening Wales' attractiveness as a leading destination for advanced digital investment."
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Scaling the rocket is critical for most of SpaceX’s major plans, including establishing a base on the moon and putting advanced Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Additional observations and more advanced computer simulations could help researchers determine whether the signals really come from vacuum birefringence or whether other physical processes could produce similar effects.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
I learn that the rock samples I brought back have advanced human understanding of Mars.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
