avant-garde
/ˌɑˌvɑntˈɡɑɹd/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.05 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any group of people who invent or promote new techniques or concepts, especially in the arts.
adj
Innovative and pioneering, especially when extremely or obviously so.
Example Sentences
- "It was a very avant-garde production."
- "While the work of the contemporary artists in the show is avant-garde, it does not overwhelm the colorful faience made by the Faucon family, seven generations of ceramicists who operated a factory in Apt, a town in the Luberon Valley, from 1890 until 2002."
- "I fear she will pay a heavy price for the avant garde ideas she has been sold."
- "There’s a moment, for instance, in the competition show Beast Games that struck me as something close to avant garde. Donaldson lays out a million dollars in cash in a big pile, and instructs each of the 10 remaining contestants to come out of their little houses one by one, and to choose how much money they want to take from the pile."
Etymology
From Middle English advaunte-garde, avauntgard, from Old French avangarde, avant-garde, avantgarde, from avant (“before; in front”) + garde (“guard”). Doublet of vanguard and vaward
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: advaunte-garde,avauntgard, avangarde,avant-garde,avantgarde
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌɑˌvɑntˈɡɑɹd/
- British English: /æˈvɑ̃t.ɡɑːd/
Usage
Inflected Forms
avant-gardes (plural)
avantgarde (alternative)
more avant-garde (comparative)
most avant-garde (superlative)