epochal

ep·och·al | \ ˈe-pə-kəl

How to pronounce epochal (audio)

, ˈe-ˌpä-kəl \

Definition of epochal

1 : of or relating to an epoch

2 : uniquely or highly significant : momentous during his three epochal years in the assembly— C. G. Bowers also : unparalleled epochal stupidity

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Examples of epochal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The blank tone, angry beeping, and whirring static that comprised the epochal dial-up sound will forever haunt kids who lived through the '90s. — Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, "Eliza Scanlen Doesn't Recognize the Dial-Up Sound," 6 Feb. 2020 As Willy Loman, the title character of this epochal 1949 drama, lives out his last, despondent days, what has often felt like a plodding walk to the grave in previous incarnations becomes a propulsive — and compulsively watchable — dance of death. — Ben Brantley, New York Times, "Review: Arthur Miller’s Dying ‘Salesman’ Is Reborn in London," 2 Jan. 2020 But they were united in what became an epochal display of global discontent, an explosion of popular unrest that capped a decade of angst and anger. — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, "A year of protests caps a decade of crisis and anger," 20 Dec. 2019 Marshall, who took epochal pictures of Bob Dylan rolling a tire and Johnny Cash flipping the bird, came across Russell on the sidewalk in San Francisco, at the height of the Haight-Ashbury hippie moment, snapping photos of the band Blue Cheer. — James Sullivan, Time, "The Daydream of the 1960s Ended 50 Years Ago at Altamont. Here’s What the Rolling Stones' Official Photographer Saw That Day," 6 Dec. 2019 René Magritte's epochal Ceci N'est Pas Une Pipe is, actually, a pipe. — Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, "Twitter Rewrites History with "Gonna Tell my Kids" Memes," 21 Nov. 2019 Get our daily newsletter Going into on-demand streaming is an epochal shift for the 96-year-old company. — The Economist, "The future of entertainment," 14 Nov. 2019 Moreover, at this time of epochal global shifts, the idea and practice of democracy is under more pressure than at any point in our lifetimes. — Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, "Rubin: Joe Biden has advanced the key foreign-policy issue of 2020," 16 July 2019 His talks with Chairman Mao Zedong coaxed a nation frozen in time into joining the global community in an epochal diplomatic achievement. — Stephen Collinson, CNN, "Meanwhile in America: "They are playing with fire"," 1 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'epochal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

18 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Epochal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epochal. Accessed 23 Feb. 2020.

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