state of the art

state of the art

Having or using the most advanced, up-to-date technology available. Sometimes hyphenated when used before a noun. Our new state-of-the-art facility will be at the forefront of cancer research. After working in such a drab, old-fashioned office for so long, it's refreshing to work somewhere that's so state of the art.

See also: art, of, state

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

state of the art

using the most recent technology. (Hyphenated before nouns.) Our company's computer setup is strictly state of the art. This state-of-the-art radio is capable of filling the whole room with sound.

See also: art, of, state

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

state of the art

The highest level of development, very up-to-date, as in This new television set reflects the state of the art in screen technology. Despite including the word art, this term originated in technology, and its first recorded use appears in a 1910 book on the gas turbine. Today it is often used adjectivally, as in This is a state-of-the-art camera, and sometimes very loosely, as in That movie is state-of-the-art Woody Allen.

See also: art, of, state

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

state of the art

or

state-of-the-art

COMMON Something that is state of the art or state-of-the-art has the most modern and advanced features and technology. The new apartments would be state of the art. We've now installed our own state-of-the-art cameras.

See also: art, of, state

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

state of the art

the most recent stage in the development of a product, incorporating the newest ideas and the most up-to-date features.

See also: art, of, state

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

ˌstate of the ˈart

using the most modern or advanced techniques or methods; as good as it can be at the present time: The security system we’re using is state of the art. ♢ This computer uses state-of-the-art technology.

See also: art, of, state

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

state of the art

Representing or incorporating the latest advances. This expression, dating from the late 1800s, has nothing to do with the condition of the fine arts. Rather, it first applies art to technology, a usage still current. B. G. Bender used it in Microminiaturism (1962), “. . . techniques have been developed for producing chips . . . which have advanced the state of the art.” However, it also is used more broadly, and often as an adjective, as in “That redecorated living room is state of the art.”

See also: art, of, state

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer