avant-garde
/a.vɑ̃.ɡaʁd/feminine
In French, the English phrase 'vanguard' is translated as avant-garde.
The term avant-garde refers to the forefront of a group or movement. It is used to describe something innovative or cutting-edge.
Meaning: forefront of any group or movement (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of avant, meaning 'before' and garde, meaning 'guard'.
Which one should you use?
While avant-garde refers to the vanguard or the forefront, the term arrière-garde refers to the rearguard or the rear of a group.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a noun, avant-garde is feminine and is typically used with a definite article, such as l'avant-garde.
How do you pronounce it?
It has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word garde in avant-garde shares a common ancestor with the English word 'warden', both stemming from the idea of watching over or protecting something.
- While in English 'avant-garde' almost exclusively describes art and culture, in French it is still frequently used in its original military sense to describe the leading part of an army.
- In a historical military context, the avant-garde was not just the first group to arrive, but the specific unit tasked with preventing the main army from being surprised by an ambush.
Examples in context
- Une armée est composée d'une avant-garde, d'une arrière garde et du gros de l'armée.An army was divided into the vanguard, the rearguard and the main body.This sentence is useful for illustrating how an army is divided into the avant-garde, the rearguard and the main body.Tatoeba #722610 by qdii, translation #722567 by qdii
- Le parti communiste est l'avant-garde de la classe ouvrière.The Communist Party is the vanguard of the working class.This sentence shows the use of avant-garde in a political context regarding the working class.Tatoeba #429488 by Clavain, translation #428061 by shekitten
- La recherche scientifique est à la pointe du progrès.Scientific research is at the cutting edge of progress.
- L'artiste est à la tête du mouvement artistique contemporain.The artist is at the forefront of the contemporary art movement.
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are discussing a new art exhibition.
- NathanTu aimes ce nouveau style de peinture ?Do you like this new painting style?
- ManonOui, c'est vraiment l'avant-garde du mouvement.Yes, it is truly the vanguard of the movement.
- NathanJe suis d'accord, c'est très innovant.I agree, it is very innovative.
- ManonElle a beaucoup de talent, cette artiste.This artist has a lot of talent.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “vanguard” translations and entries avant-garde, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
