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

Strommen has an Instagram feed with tributes to Charlie Kirk, but that didn’t prevent her from working closely with Gorman, who, while technically in a nonpartisan position, is married to Mark Spreitzer, a progressive Democratic state senator.

— Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026
On Thursday, Nixon, a progressive, said criminal charges should be a possibility, despite the grand jury not recommending them.

— Liv Caputo, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of progressive

Adjective

Goldman expects China’s advanced-node wafer supply to reach 410,000 wafers per month by 2035, compared with monthly demand of 619,000 wafers.

— Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
The display was set up by police, with authorities saying some of the bodies recovered from the floods were in an advanced state of decomposition, making physical identification difficult.

— Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of advanced

Adjective

Munetaka Murakami made the quick decision to step on the bag and then throw to the plate, where catcher Drew Romo tagged out Trevor Larnach for an unconventional inning-ending double play.

— LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
All the drama from last week’s showdown with the season-21 designers is resolved by season 22 winning the unconventional-materials challenge.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of unconventional

Adjective

Users reported problems with Outlook, while OpenAI said users may experience problems starting or continuing tasks in ChatGPT Work, temporarily disabling two of the modern office's favorite methods of assigning more work.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Drew This gender-neutral name is inspired by former Saints quarterback Drew Brees, considered one of the best signal-callers of the modern era.

— Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 1 Sep. 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

Deep underground salt behaves like a slow-moving plastic under the weight of the earth (salt creep).

— Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, was powered up in an underground tunnel near Geneva, Switzerland.

— USA Today, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of underground

Adjective

Beyond its restoration, the historic Palazzo Giovanelli has been reimagined as a boutique, 33-room, five-star hotel that blends a rich Venetian heritage with contemporary luxury.

— Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Her replacement, Christophe Leribault, critics say, is a somewhat safer pick who will likely shift the museum away from the robust contemporary art program under Des Cars, and toward a more French and Western-centric vision.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026