pioneering

American

[pahy-uh-neer-ing] / ˌpaɪ əˈnɪər ɪŋ /

adjective

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.
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.
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

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

Etymology

Origin of pioneering

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Bitcoin, the pioneering cryptocurrency, is mired in a big drawdown, as are most of the other major coins.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026

Later in life, when he studied animation at Gobelins Paris, Coffin realized that those actors in early Hollywood movies, particularly comedies, had provided the foundation for pioneering animators.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026

Elon Musk’s rocket company has leveraged lower costs to reach orbit by pioneering reusable rockets into a profitable space-based broadband network.

From Barron's • Jun. 14, 2026

"He was really pioneering as somebody who was unashamedly proud of his queerness before the legalisation of homosexuality in '67," says Dominic James Bilton, the co-leader of the Queer British Art Network.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026

I’ve been lucky enough now in my life to meet all sorts of extraordinary and accomplished people—world leaders, inventors, musicians, astronauts, athletes, professors, entrepreneurs, artists and writers, pioneering doctors and researchers.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023