as in influential
very important especially in having a strong influence on things that come later
She authored several seminal papers that are frequently cited in later works because they laid the theoretical groundwork for future studies.
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Recent Examples of seminal
Barbara Damrosch is the owner of Four Seasons Farm and the author of several seminal books on gardening.
—
Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Oct. 2025
The announcement coincides with the 30th anniversary of the release of No Doubt’s seminal sophomore album Tragic Kingdom, which catapulted the foursome to stardom, an accompanying press release detailed.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025
Grandiose rhetoric aside, the agreement unquestionably represents a seminal achievement—if only a preliminary one.
—Ilan Berman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
The seminal moment of my career was Game 7 in the 2013 NBA Finals.
—Elise Devlin, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for seminal
Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Oct. 2025
The announcement coincides with the 30th anniversary of the release of No Doubt’s seminal sophomore album Tragic Kingdom, which catapulted the foursome to stardom, an accompanying press release detailed.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025
Grandiose rhetoric aside, the agreement unquestionably represents a seminal achievement—if only a preliminary one.
—Ilan Berman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
The seminal moment of my career was Game 7 in the 2013 NBA Finals.
—Elise Devlin, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for seminal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for seminal
Adjective
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In comedy, few are as influential — and elusive — as Jim Downey.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
25 Oct. 2025
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With the Mindstorms line being discontinued, the project also serves as a fitting tribute to one of the most influential educational tools of the past three decades.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The restoration aligns with federal responsibilities under historic-preservation law and recent executive orders to beautify the nation's capital and restore pre-existing statues.—
NPR,
NPR,
28 Oct. 2025
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So said Matilde Ratti on a video call with WWD ahead of the celebrations that over the weekend marked the 80th anniversary of the historic Italian multibrand retailer bearing her surname.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Oceans 11 star said that being in such close proximity to major stars taught him an important lesson early in his career.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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For Arsenal, consistency of performances and results is so important to Arteta, with the 43-year-old often highlighting its significance in building them back to being one of Europe’s elite sides.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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But having the goods to back up your inflammatory beliefs is hardly the point of Grokipedia, a platform simply meant to appear authoritative in its own right.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
28 Oct. 2025
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Brown, after an authoritative start to the fourth quarter, went quiet down the stretch, scoring just two points in the final five minutes and missing his last three shots.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Black Americans were at a critical juncture.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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After the war, Riefenstahl’s career included invitations to film festivals and critical praise, a lovely lake home in Bavaria, and snarling attacks on anyone who questioned her lies.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Oceans 11 star said that being in such close proximity to major stars taught him an important lesson early in his career.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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Later, Owsley Brown II served as board president during major funding drives to build the theater's facilities.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Limp Bizkit was a groundbreaking group.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
21 Oct. 2025
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In 2024, Wasserman bought Dan Levitt’s Long Haul Management, and the exec has since orchestrated a groundbreaking deal where MMG, the top Madden and NCAA football gamer, became the first YouTuber to formally partner with the NFL.—
Taylor Lorenz,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Seminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/seminal. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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