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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of seminal
Based on the seminal novel by Walter Mosley, Jonathan Majors was originally attached to star in the project but was dropped after the actor was accused of assaulting and harassing his former girlfriend, Grace Jabbari.
—
Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2025
On the cat-eye front, Calvin Klein had a cool Havana style, while embellishments furthered the sophisticated spin of the model in the Christian Louboutin seminal collection under the Marcolin license, with grips on the frame shaped as miniaturized red soles and a grid-like bridge.
—Martino Carrera, WWD, 14 Feb. 2025
The seminal case is City of Los Angeles v. Lyons (1983).
—Ian Millhiser, Vox, 10 Feb. 2025
That is the book historian Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote that debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list, about the epic story of the love of her life, Richard Goodwin, peppered with his experiences as a seminal figure in the most turbulent events of the ’60s.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for seminal
Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2025
On the cat-eye front, Calvin Klein had a cool Havana style, while embellishments furthered the sophisticated spin of the model in the Christian Louboutin seminal collection under the Marcolin license, with grips on the frame shaped as miniaturized red soles and a grid-like bridge.
—Martino Carrera, WWD, 14 Feb. 2025
The seminal case is City of Los Angeles v. Lyons (1983).
—Ian Millhiser, Vox, 10 Feb. 2025
That is the book historian Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote that debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list, about the epic story of the love of her life, Richard Goodwin, peppered with his experiences as a seminal figure in the most turbulent events of the ’60s.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for seminal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for seminal
Adjective
-
Weighing most heavily on the market was superstar stock Nvidia, one of Wall Street’s most influential companies that’s been leading the market for years.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2025
-
The most influential leaders establish credibility through reliability, transparency, and consistency in their messaging.—
Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
One factor that has been holding back the cash rate’s descent has been the strength of the labor market, with unemployment rate hovering near a historic low level of 4.0% in December.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
18 Feb. 2025
-
In the film, Plant recounts that day of personal triumph while keeping his band’s award in perspective with the historic events that had most of the world’s attention.—
Steve Appleford,
SPIN,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The General Assembly has become the most important U.N. body on Ukraine because the Security Council has been paralyzed by Russia’s veto power.—
Edith M. Lederer,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Magnesium is a mineral that's needed for important processes such as nerve function, blood pressure and blood sugar regulation, bone health maintenance, and more.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
This was the sort of authoritative result that proves Missouri could make some noise come March.—
Brendan Marks,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Isbell’s authoritative vocal performance also highlighted his savvy wordplay and observations, tools that reinforced his music’s tight links with descriptive language and honest perspective.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Pope updates:Francis attends Mass hours after 'respiratory crisis,' remains critical What is a polymicrobial infection?—
John Bacon,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
-
This is the first and most critical question to answer.—
Jennifer Sodini,
Rolling Stone,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
China's annual Singles' Day sales event, a nationwide shopping festival in October and November, often viewed as a consumer sentiment barometer, ran longer than usual and led to a 26.6% rise in sales in major e-commerce platforms, according to data provider Syntun.—
Harshita Mary Varghese and Casey Hall,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Rampant crime, higher taxes, the highest cost of living in our nation, tent encampments in every major city, more fentanyl deaths, catastrophic fires, a broken home insurance market and people across our state are struggling to afford groceries and gas.—
Stepheny Price,
Fox News,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
This was a groundbreaking decision in a city where the municipal hospital system was deeply segregated; at the time, General Hospital No. 1 served white patients and General Hospital No. 2 served Black patients.—
Michael Wells,
Kansas City Star,
21 Feb. 2025
-
As indie filmmakers from around the globe converge on California for the 40th Independent Spirit Awards, IndieWire — the voice of creative independence — is preparing for a groundbreaking day on the arrivals carpet in Santa Monica.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Seminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/seminal. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share