vanguardism

[ van-gahr-diz-uhm ]

noun

1. the beliefs and activities of persons who consider themselves to be leaders in a particular field or school of thought.

Other Words From

• vanguard·ist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vanguardism¹

vanguard + -ism

Example Sentences

When Rufo described his role, and that of other right-wing intellectuals at the conference, as "providing intellectual guidance, a new vocabulary of subversion, and a narrative that can direct the emotions and energy of the public against the right targets," Harrington diagnosed that as an idea borrowed "from the Leninist idea of 'vanguardism': the idea that an elite whose consciousness has already attained greater revolutionary heights should lead and mobilize the masses in transforming the world for the better."

From Salon

The danger of this a priori politics is vanguardism, under which acolytes of an ideal believe that the ideal is more important than how they reach it.

From Wall Street Journal

According to Mr. Walzer, the left’s vanguardism has put it in bed with dictators, fanatics and activists who reject reasoned debate as a means to democratic change.

From Wall Street Journal

Their ultimate goal—a muddled vanguardism in which they imagined their actions would spark a general uprising—might have been preposterous, but after Hearst signed on to their mission, they planned and executed two bank robberies almost without a hitch, all while eluding the biggest manhunt in American history.

From Slate

He reminded us that a single artist could use vanguardism as mass culture’s minor seventh, that technical prowess was about dirtily programmed drum machines as much as it was about dazzling guitar fills.

From Slate