advanced

advanced — adjective

1. using the newest ideas, designs, or equipment that exist today.

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

using the newest ideas, designs, or equipment that exist today.

Example

Japan builds some of the most advanced robots in the world.

advanced + noun (technology context)

The hospital in Taipei uses advanced scanners to find tumors early.

Common collocations
  • advanced technology
  • advanced equipment
  • advanced robots
  • highly advanced
Synonyms
  • cutting-edge

    stronger; suggests right at the front of innovation

  • modern

    broader; just 'of today', not necessarily ahead of others

  • sophisticated

    stresses cleverness of design, not just newness

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

advanced + noun

Usage Note

Subject is usually a piece of technology, equipment, or a country/region. Distinguish from sense 2 (about study level) — this sense is about modern design, not about difficulty for learners.

Common Mistakes

My English is very advanced technology.
My English is very advanced.
for study level, use the bare adjective; sense 1 needs a tech or design noun.

2. studying or teaching things that are harder than the basic ones, usually after t

2.adjectiveA2
Definition

studying or teaching things that are harder than the basic ones, usually after the early lessons.

Example

Tariq signed up for an advanced Spanish class after living in Madrid for a year.

advanced + class / course

The advanced math textbook has many problems my younger brother cannot solve.

Common collocations
  • advanced course
  • advanced level
  • advanced student
  • advanced learner
  • advanced English
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

advanced + course/student/level

Usage Note

Common in education contexts: advanced course, advanced student, advanced level. Distinguish from sense 1 (modern technology) — sense 2 is about how hard the study material is, not whether it is new.

Common Mistakes

I am beginner advanced in Spanish.
I am at an advanced level in Spanish.
say 'at an advanced level' or 'an advanced student', not mix it with 'beginner'.

3. near the end of a process or period of time, with most of it already finished.

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

near the end of a process or period of time, with most of it already finished.

Example

Talks between the two companies are now at an advanced stage.

at an advanced stage (idiomatic phrase)

The bridge project has reached an advanced stage and will open next month.

Common collocations
  • at an advanced stage
  • advanced phase
  • advanced state of preparation
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

advanced + stage/state

Usage Note

Frequently used in fixed phrases: 'at an advanced stage', 'in an advanced state of [preparation/decay]'. Distinguish from sense 4 (illness) — this sense is neutral about plans, projects, or time of day.

Common Mistakes

The meeting is in advanced.
The meeting is at an advanced stage.
needs 'at/in' plus a stage noun like stage, phase, state.

4. describing a sickness that has spread far and is now hard to treat, often danger

4.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a sickness that has spread far and is now hard to treat, often dangerous to life.

Example

Doctors told the family that the cancer was at an advanced stage.

advanced + cancer / disease

Treatment for advanced lung disease takes many months and costs a lot.

Common collocations
  • advanced cancer
  • advanced disease
  • advanced dementia
  • advanced stage
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

advanced + illness/cancer/disease

Usage Note

Subject is a disease name (cancer, dementia, Parkinson's, kidney disease) or a body system. Distinguish from sense 3 — sense 4 is specifically about illness and carries a serious, often grave tone.

Common Mistakes

She has an advanced cold.
She has a bad cold.
use 'advanced' only with serious, long-term diseases, not minor short-term illness.

5. a class of pupils whose lessons are harder than what most children of their age

5.adjectiveB2
Definition

a class of pupils whose lessons are harder than what most children of their age usually study.

Example

Sara was moved into the advanced class after she finished the math book in two weeks.

the advanced + class / group / track

The school's advanced reading group meets every Thursday in the library.

Common collocations
  • the advanced class
  • advanced reading group
  • advanced track
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the advanced (group)

Usage Note

Often used as a group noun ('the advanced') in school settings. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 2 modifies any course or student; sense 5 names a specific top class within a school.

Common Mistakes

He is in advanced.
He is in the advanced class.
usually needs 'the' or a noun like 'class/group/track'.

6. old, said in a kind and respectful way to avoid the word 'old'.

6.adjectiveC1
Definition

old, said in a kind and respectful way to avoid the word 'old'.

Example

Despite her advanced years, Grandma Ines still climbs the stairs every morning.

advanced + age/years (polite)

Mr. Wallace is of an advanced age but writes a new poem each week.

of an advanced age (fixed phrase)

Common collocations
  • advanced age
  • advanced years
  • of an advanced age
Synonyms
  • elderly

    the most common polite word for old people

  • senior

    neutral, often used in 'senior citizen'

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

advanced age/years

Usage Note

Almost always with 'age' or 'years' in fixed polite phrases ('of advanced age', 'in advanced years'). Common in obituaries and respectful speech. Distinguish from sense 7, which uses the same idea but as a noun phrase about somebody's age figure.

Common Mistakes

My grandfather is advanced.
My grandfather is of an advanced age.
needs 'age' or 'years' to mean elderly; the bare adjective will be read as sense 1 or 2.

7. the way you describe somebody's age when they are notably older than most others

7.adjectiveC1
Definition

the way you describe somebody's age when they are notably older than most others taking part in a particular activity or field.

Example

Ilya won the dance prize at the advanced age of forty-two, beating teenagers.

advanced age + 'for' a peer group context

He started his medical degree at the advanced age of fifty, ten years older than his classmates.

Common collocations
  • at the advanced age of
  • advanced age for [peer group]
Synonyms
  • older

    simpler and more general

  • later

    as in 'later in life'

Antonyms
  • young

    below the usual age

  • early

    earlier than peers, e.g. 'at an early age'

Grammar Patterns

advanced age (for/in a context)

Usage Note

Almost always in the pattern 'at the advanced age of [number]' or 'an advanced age for [peer group]'. Distinguishes from sense 6 — sense 6 means 'old' in general; sense 7 means 'old relative to peers in this activity', so the number can be quite young (e.g. 36 for an athlete).

Common Mistakes

She had a baby at the advanced age.
She had a baby at the advanced age of forty-five.
this sense needs a specific age number after 'of'.
Idioms

Word family

  • advance
    verbB2
  • advance
    nounB2
  • advancement
    nounC1
  • advances
    nounB2
  • in advance
    phraseB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe technology or ideas that feel current, but the angle differs. 'Modern' is the broadest and weakest — it just means 'belonging to the present time', and a modern phone may still be ordinary. 'Advanced' adds the idea of being ahead of others in design or capability, so an advanced phone has features most phones do not. 'Cutting-edge' and 'state-of-the-art' are stronger again: they put the product right at the front of innovation, often newly released. 'Sophisticated' shifts the focus from newness to cleverness — a sophisticated system may not be brand new, but it does complicated jobs in a smart way. So you might say: 'Our school has modern computers, but the research lab next door has advanced ones, and the army uses cutting-edge models that are sophisticated enough to translate twelve languages live.'

advancedmoderncutting-edgesophisticatedstate-of-the-art

Common collocations

Nouns

  • advanced technology
  • advanced stage
  • advanced level
  • advanced age
  • advanced course
  • advanced student

Adverbs

  • highly advanced
  • technologically advanced
  • very advanced
  • extremely advanced

Phrases

  • at an advanced stage
  • of advanced age
  • at the advanced age of

Prepositions

  • advanced in [a field]
  • advanced for [age/peer group]

Etymology

LatinLate LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Advanced' is the past-participle form of the verb 'advance', which English borrowed in the 14th century from Old French 'avancer' ('to move forward'). The French word came in turn from a Late Latin form built on Latin 'ab ante' ('from before'). The original idea, then, was simply 'pushed forward' in space. By the 1500s the past participle was being used as an adjective for things that were further along — first in physical position, later in time, age, study level, illness, and finally in technology and design. The 's' at the start ('s-' of advance) is a curiosity of history: it does not belong to the original Latin and was added by mistake in Middle English under the influence of unrelated Latin words beginning with 'ad-'.