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;” vanguard

Example Sentences

Nearly 60 works introduce audiences to her unique modernist perspective that, over the course of her career, shifted her vision from traditional realism to one that was expressively avant-garde.

From The Wall Street Journal

After giving up a baby for adoption at age 20, she moved to New York in 1967 and hung out with avant-garde artists and musicians.

From The Wall Street Journal

Next, Viola assisted pianist and electronic music composer David Tudor, the most accomplished pianist of the post-World War II avant-garde and Cage’s closest collaborator in the 1950s.

From Los Angeles Times

Viola also performed in avant-garde composer David Tudor’s germinal musical production, “Rainforest.”

From Los Angeles Times

Normally, avant-garde financial tools might come from, well, the financial avant-garde -- bankers, merchants, and investors hunting for short-term profits, not clergymen.

From Science Daily

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