trailblazer
nounUK /ˈtɹeɪlbleɪzə/ · US /ˈtɹeɪlˌbleɪzəɹ/
Etymology From trail (noun) + blazer (noun).
› Synonym of pathfinder.
1
One who discovers or makes a new path or way through an untraversed region.
2
Figuratively One who is the first to do something in a particular field; an innovator, a pioneer.
- Yes, there were instances of grandstanding and obsessive behaviour, but many were concealed at the time to help protect an aggressively peddled narrative of [Oscar] Pistorius the paragon, the emblem, the trailblazer.2014 October 21, Oliver Brown, “Oscar Pistorius jailed for five years – sport afforded no protection against his tragic fallibilities: Bladerunner’s punishment for killing Reeva Steenkamp is but a frippery when set against the burden that her bereft parents, June and Barry, must carry [print version: No room for sentimentality in this tragedy, 13 September 2014]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Sport section), London: Telegraph Media Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 15 Jul 2025, page S22:
- Related terms
- blaze, blaze a trail, blazer, blazing, trail, trailblaze, trailblazing, roadbuilder