momentous
adjective
mo·men·tous
mō-ˈmen-təs 
mə-
: having great or lasting importance : consequential, significant
a momentous decision
a momentous event/occasion
The Senate begins a momentous debate on health care today …—
The New York Times
The New York TimesDeydey usually talked about his travels, the places he'd seen and the people, the close calls and momentous encounters with animals, weather, other Anishinabeg, and best of all, ghosts.—Louise Erdrich
Louise ErdrichThe late nineteenth century was strewn with inventions. Many were momentous, but few affected men and women more closely than the bicycle and its motorized offspring: motorcycle, motor-car and aeroplane.—Eugen Weber
Eugen Weber
momentously
adverb
a momentously important decision
… a … twist that is executed differently from the comic book story, but is just as dramatically and momentously presented.
—The Philippines Daily Inquirer
The Philippines Daily Inquirer
momentousness
noun
But other East Europeans had little time to marvel at the momentousness of the moment. Just one day after the fall of the [Berlin] Wall, Bulgaria's dour leader of 35 years, Todor Zhivkov, was ousted.
—Stephen E. Deane
Stephen E. Deane
Examples of momentous in a Sentence
My college graduation was a momentous day in my life.
a momentous occasion that will go down in the history books
Recent Examples on the Web
After a momentous week, that question has suddenly become international.
—Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2025
There’s inherently a lot of redundancy in reporting, because many outlets cover the same momentous happenings, and seek to do so from multiple angles.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2025
The artist behind the work is Tony Harris, who has done a number of similar pieces to mark momentous occasions in the NHL.
—Brooks Peck, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Maybe generative AI will aid us in such a momentous quest.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for momentous
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Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2025
There’s inherently a lot of redundancy in reporting, because many outlets cover the same momentous happenings, and seek to do so from multiple angles.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2025
The artist behind the work is Tony Harris, who has done a number of similar pieces to mark momentous occasions in the NHL.
—Brooks Peck, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Maybe generative AI will aid us in such a momentous quest.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for momentous
Cite this Entry
“Momentous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/momentous. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
momentous
adjective
mo·men·tous
mō-ˈment-əs
: very important
a momentous decision
momentously
adverb
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