state of the art

alternative state-of-the-art

1. uncountableThe condition of scientific or technical knowledge, particularly the peak or highest level thereof, at a particular time.First known use early 20th c.

   which is not only not advancing the state-of-the-art of management but also is believed to be regressing the state-of-the-art.

   2002, D. G. Carmichael, Disputes and International Projects, page 164

   1 more example

   The foregoing may be considered to present perhaps a very gloomy outlook both for the would-be inventor, the actual patentee, or for those having capital invested in a patent, since it is easy to see that it is quite impossible in the ordinary run of cases fully to ascertain beyond peradventure that the state of the art does not somewhere contain an instance of anticipation.

   1903 August 15, “Supplement, No. 1441”, in Scientific American, page xlii

   Synonyms: SOTA

comparative more state of the art · superlative most state of the art · alternative state-of-the-art

1. At the highest level of development at a particular time; cutting-edge.

   state-of-the-art technology

   4 more examples

   In other words, what I am saying is that when you plan to put into a future aircraft something that is state of the art you are putting in something as far advanced as present technology will allow and that is very much further advanced than things that are in present aircraft.

   1964, U.S. Government Printing Office, Hearings Before and Special Reports Made by Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives on Subjects Affecting the Naval and Military Establishments, →OCLC, page 7606

   The components considered applicable to the design of a power train for a state-of-the-art electric vehicle are: Induction motor and 3-phase AC controller[…]

   1978, [United States] Department of Energy, Preliminary Power Train Design for a State-of-the-art Electric Vehicle, page A-29

   How good are DCGs from a linguistic perspective? Well, mixed. At one stage (in the early 1980s) they were pretty much state of the art. […]

   2006, Patrick Blackburn, Johan Bos, Kristina Striegnitz, Learn Prolog Now!, §8.3

   When the Cotillion arrived, we threw out the television Model D-575 has custom flute presets and Harmony Plus in addition Now for an arm and a leg we get three half-dozen beats to choose from So now we can pretend that there's an orchestra in the loungeroom […] State, state, state, state of the art (State of the art) Hold the phone, it's so state, state, state, state of the art (Computer-controlled tone color) State, state, state, state of the art (The marriage of music and computers is quite natural) Oh my God, it's so state, state, state, state of the art (It is time to hear the result)

   2011, Gotye, “State of the Art”, in Making Mirrors, performed by Gotye