seminal
adjective
sem·i·nal
ˈse-mə-nᵊl 
1
: of, relating to, or consisting of seed or semen
seminal discharge
Examples of seminal in a Sentence
Kandel was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2000 for his seminal observation that it was in the action of the synapses between cells that memory existed, not in the cells themselves, and that a molecule called cyclic AMP was what allowed cells to retain memory over the long term.
—
Michael Greenberg, New York Review of Books, 4 Dec. 2008
Writer Susan Sontag died December 28 at age 71 after a long battle with cancer. She left behind an impressive body of fiction and criticism, including her seminal 1960s essays "Notes on Camp" and "Against Interpretation."
—Allan Gurganus, Advocate, 1 Feb. 2005
I wonder if the curators who organized "Matisse Picasso" ever asked themselves why it was that Alfred H. Barr Jr., the first director of the Museum of Modern Art and the guiding spirit behind the museum's seminal exhibitions of both Picasso and Matisse, never mounted a show like the one that has now arrived at MoMA QNS. Such an exhibition might seem to be logical, almost inevitable for the Museum of Modern Art.
—Jed Perl, New Republic, 3 Mar. 2003
Michael Greenberg, New York Review of Books, 4 Dec. 2008
Writer Susan Sontag died December 28 at age 71 after a long battle with cancer. She left behind an impressive body of fiction and criticism, including her seminal 1960s essays "Notes on Camp" and "Against Interpretation."
—Allan Gurganus, Advocate, 1 Feb. 2005
I wonder if the curators who organized "Matisse Picasso" ever asked themselves why it was that Alfred H. Barr Jr., the first director of the Museum of Modern Art and the guiding spirit behind the museum's seminal exhibitions of both Picasso and Matisse, never mounted a show like the one that has now arrived at MoMA QNS. Such an exhibition might seem to be logical, almost inevitable for the Museum of Modern Art.
—Jed Perl, New Republic, 3 Mar. 2003
Recent Examples on the Web
His seminal Laudato Si’ encyclical, a 176-page pastoral letter on the religious importance of caring for the planet, sparked a climate movement in the catholic church that echoed through the temples and mosques of the world’s other great religions.
—Aryn Baker, Time, 9 May 2025
The pic reunited New Line Cinema with Raimi, Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell nearly 40 years after the studio’s release of the seminal horror classic The Evil Dead.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 May 2025
Morton is also involved in efforts to save the home of Buddy Bolden, a seminal jazz musician with no recorded music.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2025
Robinson later became vice president of the seminal record label, which was established by Berry Gordy.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for seminal
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Aryn Baker, Time, 9 May 2025
The pic reunited New Line Cinema with Raimi, Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell nearly 40 years after the studio’s release of the seminal horror classic The Evil Dead.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 8 May 2025
Morton is also involved in efforts to save the home of Buddy Bolden, a seminal jazz musician with no recorded music.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2025
Robinson later became vice president of the seminal record label, which was established by Berry Gordy.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for seminal
Cite this Entry
“Seminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seminal. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
seminal
adjective
sem·i·nal
ˈsem-ən-ᵊl
: of, relating to, or consisting of seed or semen
seminal discharge
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share