How to Use pivotal in a Sentence

pivotal

adjective

• She is at a pivotal point in her career.
• Wilson points to the 1330s as the pivotal decade of change.
  — Ana María Velasco, National Geographic, 17 Jan. 2024
• Think of a three-act play — from the setup to the pivotal turn to the outcome.
  — Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 4 Jan. 2023
• Her monologue is a pivotal moment, and one of the film’s best.
  — Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2023
• Week 1 of the season is a pivotal one for the conference.
  — Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 28 Aug. 2023
• That was a pivotal moment for Tim — an epiphany for him.
  — Chris Willman, Variety, 18 Dec. 2023
• In this case, the Sox lamented pivotal instances when the ball didn’t roll at all.
  — Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 22 July 2023
• The Bible plays a pivotal role, with its promise of the land of Canaan to the descendants of Abraham.
  — Maeghan Dolph, Fox News, 12 Oct. 2023
• The Kings fell in Phoenix in pivotal game on a few different fronts.
  — Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 14 Feb. 2024
• Andrew Iverson is the right man for the job in this pivotal election.
  — Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2024
• The trade deadline will be pivotal to the remaining stretch of the season.
  — James O'Connell, New York Daily News, 19 July 2024
• Which is good news, since tech is pivotal to the state’s economy.
  — Larry Edelman, BostonGlobe.com, 12 May 2023
• The trade deadline, a pivotal AL East series and a reunion.
  — Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 31 July 2023
• One of the world’s biggest pop stars has played a pivotal role in the increase in female Chiefs fans over the last year.
  — Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 21 Nov. 2024
• The chop marked a pivotal moment in both the model's career and the Mod era in general.
  — Tish Weinstock, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2023
• In the docuseries, Casey resurfaced claims that the man played a pivotal role in her daughter Caylee’s 2008 death.
  — Jasmine Browley, Essence, 15 Dec. 2022
• That bond is a pivotal part of the Fresh Prince storyline, and Bel-Air leans into it as well.
  — Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 7 Apr. 2023
• Michael Massey and Maikel Garcia hit pivotal home runs in the sixth inning, with Massey drilling a two-run shot over the right-field wall.
  — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 18 May 2024
• The fracturing of the family was always a pivotal theme in the show.
  — Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2023
• The track plays at a pivotal moment in the movie when Barbie questions what her purpose is.
  — Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024
• Here are some of the pivotal moments in the conflict leading up to the counteroffensive.
  — Sammy Westfall, Washington Post, 9 June 2023
• The tenth house rules men and fathers—and an important guy in your life could play a pivotal role in the coming weeks.
  — ELLE, 30 Nov. 2022
• But inside were portraits of moments that are pivotal to him from his time in school.
  — Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 26 Apr. 2024
• Hintz scored the pivotal, opening goal in Game 7 Monday night on a breakaway.
  — Joey Hayden, Dallas News, 18 May 2023
• One pivotal scene involved shaving Gordon-Levitt’s head, which the team had one chance to nail.
  — Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2023
• The counteroffensive stands to mark a pivotal moment in the nearly 16-month war.
  — Yasmeen Serhan, Time, 6 June 2023
• Burt Bacharach played a pivotal role in the timeless film series Austin Powers.
  — Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 10 Feb. 2023
• In the last four years, the 20-year-old St. Paul, Minnesota, native has faced many pivotal moments.
  — Christine Yu, SELF, 4 Oct. 2023
• Hutchinson's shocking return would provide a massive boost for the Detroit defense at the most pivotal moment of the season.
  — Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2024
• The district was one of several seats in California seen as pivotal in the fight for control of Congress, and was one of three in the state that Democrats wrangled from Republican control.
  — Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024

Last Updated: 23 Dec 2024