| the latest and most sophisticated or advanced stage of a technology, art, or science. |
| state of the art n. The highest level of development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field, achieved at a particular time: "Forty or fifty years ago the state of the art in radio was represented by crackling noises coming from a console of . . . Aztec-temple shape" (New Yorker). state'-of-the-art' (stāt'əv-thē-ärt') adj. |