Showing results for "pioneering"

• present participle of pioneer.

pioneering

American  

[pahy-uh-neer-ing] / ˌpaɪ əˈnɪər ɪŋ /

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.

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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

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

See Examples For:

pioneering

For Jutta Ambrositsch, a pioneering figure among the new wave of Viennese winemakers, "the major problem is insensitive and careless real estate development in the 'heurigen areas'".

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

Whittle, who was born in Coventry and founded Power Jets in Rugby to build the aircraft engines he designed, before going on to continue his pioneering work in Gloucestershire, died 30 years ago this year.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

In conventional chip manufacturing, IBM continues to do pioneering research.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

The idea that gravity and thermodynamics are deeply linked dates back to the pioneering work of Jacob Bekenstein and Stephen Hawking in the 1970s.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 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

Related Words

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