avant-garde

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: a=vant-garde

CIDE DICTIONARY

avant-garde, n. [F. avant before + E. guard, F. avant-garde. See Avaunt.].

 The most advanced group of people in any field of endeavor, especially in literary and artistic work, usually characterized by new ideas and experimental techniques.  [PJC]

avant-garde, a. 

•  Of, pertaining to, or belonging to the avant-garde.  [PJC]
•  Characterized by the use of experimental techniques; modern; daring; radical.  [PJC]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

avant-garde, n. & adj.
--n. pioneers or innovators esp. in art and literature.
--adj. (of ideas etc.) new, progressive.

Derivative

avant-gardism n. avant-gardist n.

Etymology

F, = vanguard

ROGET THESAURUS

avant-garde

Precursor

N precursor, antecedent, precedent, predecessor, forerunner, vancourier, avant-coureur, pioneer, prodrome, prodromos, prodromus, outrider, leader, bellwether, herald, harbinger, foreboding, dawn, avant-courier, avant-garde, bellmare, forelooper, foreloper, stalking-horse, voorlooper, voortrekker, prelude, preamble, preface, prologue, foreword, avant-propos, protasis, proemium, prolusion, proem, prolepsis, prolegomena, prefix, introduction, heading, frontispiece, groundwork, preparation, overture, exordium, symphony, premises, prefigurement, omen, precursory, prelusive, prelusory, preludious, proemial, introductory, prefatory, prodromous, inaugural, preliminary, precedent, a precedent embalms a principle.