avant-garde

[uh-vahnt-gahrd, uh-vant-, av-ahnt-, ah-vahnt-, a-vahn-gard]

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.

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

/ avɑ̃ɡard, ˌævɒŋˈɡɑːd /

noun

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

adjective

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

2. radical; daring

Other Word Forms

• avant-gardism noun
• avant-gardist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of avant-garde¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of avant-garde¹

from French: _vanguard

Example Sentences

It wasn’t long before Studio Berçot, a now-closed fashion school in Paris known for its avant-garde curriculum, started calling her name.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"I always see the environment around me dirty... I wanted to control pollution," he told AFP as he prepared his avant-garde outfits in his single-room home before the show.

Read more on Barron's

Working mostly collaboratively during this period, they made avant-garde films and an album, “Some Time in New York City,” devoted to topical songs with a political edge.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In Wisconsin, one of four states in the geological region, “the Driftless” has become a cultural term that means off-grid, avant-garde and artisanal.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Land art was then at the cutting edge of avant-garde activity.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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

When To Use

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."