av ‧ ant-garde /ˌævɒŋ ˈɡɑːd◂ $ ˌævɑːŋ ˈɡɑːrd◂/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1900-2000 ; Language: French ; Origin: 'vanguard' ]
1 . avant-garde music, literature etc is extremely modern and often seems strange or slightly shocking:
an avant-garde play
2 . the avant-garde the group of artists, writers etc who produce avant-garde books, paintings etc:
a member of the avant-garde