[uh-vahnt-gahrd, uh-vant-, av-ahnt-, ah-vahnt-; Fr. a-vahn-gard] 
| 1. | the advance group in any field, esp. in the visual, literary, or musical arts, whose works are characterized chiefly by unorthodox and experimental methods. |
| 2. | of or pertaining to the experimental treatment of artistic, musical, or literary material. |
| 3. | belonging to the avant-garde: an avant-garde composer. |
| 4. | unorthodox or daring; radical. |
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