Vanguard
n.capable, hopefulformal
What it means
The leading position in a new development or movement.
Reach for it when naming the people or work at the leading edge of a movement or development
Local engineers placed the town at the vanguard of recycling.
Choose between these
6- playful
trailblazers
individuals break conventions and enable followers
not when Trailblazers can romanticize work built collectively.
- everyday
spearhead
the group actively drives an initiative
not when Spearhead stresses direction, not novelty.
- warm
pioneers
first practitioners opened a path for others
not when Pioneers need not remain current leaders.
- professional
leading position is more important than people
not when Forefront names a place in development, not its leaders.
- professional
technical novelty defines the position
not when Leading edge often describes technology rather than a group.
- literary
experimental artistic innovation is central
not when Avant-garde carries cultural and stylistic associations.
Said against
3- rear guard
- followers
- traditionalists
It naturally appears in
3- at the vanguard
Community labs are at the vanguard of low-cost water testing.
- vanguard of reform
The nurses stood in the vanguard of reform across the hospital network.
- creative vanguard
A creative vanguard transformed discarded textiles into durable housing panels.
Where this comes from
- Wiktionary, English noun, forefront of a movement sense opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.