avant

adjective

ˈä-ˌvän(t) How to pronounce avant (audio)
ˈa-, 
-ˌvȯn(t), 
-ˌvōⁿ
Synonyms of avant
: culturally or stylistically advanced : avant-garde
avant jazz

Synonyms of avant

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of avant in a Sentence

readers of this very avant novel should not expect to find much in the way of traditional narrative structure
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
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 Despite her lofty ambitions, the avant-pop singer is at her most compelling when grounded in the earthly pleasures of four-to-the-floor beats and straightforward, theatrical hooks. — Alex Robert Ross, Pitchfork, 15 June 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 See All Example Sentences for avant

Word History

Etymology

French avant- fore-, front, from avant before, from Latin abante

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of avant was in 1965

Phrases Containing avant

Rhymes for avant

See All Rhymes for avant

Browse Nearby Words

Avalonia
avant
avant-corps
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Avant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avant. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All