AVANT Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

avant

adjective

ˈä-ˌvän(t)

Definition of avant

as in progressive

being or employing the latest concepts, styles, or techniques readers of this very avant novel should not expect to find much in the way of traditional narrative structure

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of avant For electronic music that is just as awe-inducing, there’s the ambient-pop artist Laurel Halo (Pioneer Works; June 25), the eclectic avant-rap producer Flying Lotus, playing with a live band (Blue Note; July 8-9), and the psychedelic composer Dan Deacon (Pioneer Works; July 31). — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 May 2026 Since 1962 the same family has owned and run Aimo e Nadia, featuring avant garden cuisine. — John Mariani, Forbes.com, 16 Mar. 2026 Top of the News This ambitious fine dining restaurant’s tasting menu has an eye toward avant garde visuals, but the progression of courses is high octane. — Cesar Hernandez, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Feb. 2026 In Rye’s place, Agar and his business partner will expand their avant garde cocktail bar, Apothecary. — Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas Morning News, 1 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for avant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for avant

Adjective

Black Americans were struggling against the legacy of Jim Crow, and Abdeen interned with Ernest Goodman, a civil-rights lawyer who was reviving the National Lawyers Guild, a collective of progressive legal professionals.

— Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
Several political programs returned to the chart this quarter, including Mark Levin Podcast, Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar, The David Pakman Show, Pivot, and Piers Morgan Uncensored, spanning both progressive and conservative audiences.

— Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of progressive

Adjective

Once operational in late 2027, the facility is expected to produce about 12,000 metric tons of advanced polymer electrolyte each year, enough material for as much as 25 GWh of lithium-ion battery production.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
The vaccine, in combination with Keytruda , met key goals in patients with higher-risk or advanced melanoma whose detectable cancer had been completely removed through surgery.

— Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of advanced

Adjective

Chester Zoo and the University of Liverpool teamed up to try the pioneering treatment on the 15-foot python after a cancerous tumor on the reptile’s jaw reappeared following surgery to remove it.

— Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026
Wexler won an Oscar for his work, which included a pioneering 2-minute, 15-second Steadicam shot that trailed and then led David Carradine as the folk singer through a crowd of migrant workers.

— Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of pioneering

Adjective

Middlemarch George Eliot’s unconventional Victorian novel upends expectations while crafting a complex portrait of family and individual life in fictional Middlemarch, North Loamshire.

— Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
In it, Leó, a renowned geriatrician specialized in Alzheimer’s disease, develops an unconventional friendship with Ásdís, a psychiatrist who’s returned to Iceland to care for her ailing grandmother.

— Annika Pham, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of unconventional

Adjective

There’s a keen juxtaposition of the old and the modern throughout this part of Edinburgh, where buildings made of ancient volcanic sandstone accommodate hip boutiques like record store Underground Solu'shn and coffee shops like The Milkman.

— Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
Okuyama emphasizes a focus on lightweight construction and a direct human connection, using traditional craftsmanship alongside modern tech.

— Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of modern

Adjective

The Little Review was an avant-garde literary magazine founded by Margaret Anderson in 1914 and published out of Chicago’s Fine Arts Building.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2026
While the Kitchen had increasingly opened its doors to fusions of minimalism and rock music practiced by fellow downtown composers like Rhys Chatham, the avant-garde had not cottoned onto disco.

— Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 27 June 2026

Definition of avant-garde

Adjective

In July 2025, utility workers excavating trenches to expand an underground gas network in Peru's capital unearthed two pre-Incan tombs that were over 1,000 years old.

— CBS News, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
These underground excursions are a park favorite, so make your reservations early.

— Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of underground

Adjective

Though the building is clearly old (it was built in 1913), its shutters are a curiously contemporary shade of blue, sitting brightly next to the terra-cotta roof.

— Megan Rose Murray, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026
The hard-edge suitcase is now a coffee table that sits in the living room between the wood-burning fireplace and a sofa that’s the only significant piece of contemporary furniture.

— Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 22 Aug. 2026