epochal

adjective

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

That sale, 10 years ago this weekend, is an epochal moment in the explosive growth of the Premier League. — Joshua Robinson, WSJ, "Manchester City and the Decade That Changed the Premier League," 1 Sep. 2018 Raúl Castro, 86, was expected to step aside as Cuba’s president this week, ending the epochal run of two brothers who sent shock waves through 20th-century politics. — Rick Noack, Washington Post, "How France wants to ‘reform’ Islam, and 6 other global stories you might have missed," 19 Apr. 2018 Martinez is the creator of what is arguably the 20th century’s most epochal invention—the frozen margarita machine—and, at the age of 73, the Dallas restaurateur is an indisputable authority on the cocktail in the salt-rimmed glass. — Franz Lidz, Smithsonian, "The Uniquely Texan Origins of the Frozen Margarita," 27 June 2018 And when West convened the dream team that helped him bring 2010's epochal My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy into existence, Cudi was a key member. — Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, "What a Kanye West-Kid Cudi Joint Album Means to Hip-Hop," 30 Apr. 2018 But no matter what happens, here’s what not to expect: anything epochal, or generation shifting. — Julie Muncy, WIRED, "E3 Is Going to be a Weird One—But Don’t Hold Your Breath," 10 June 2018 Almost before that epochal change can sink in, the government is taking steps to end another practice backed by the Catholic Church: a provision that gives preference in most of the country’s elementary schools to children who have been baptized. — New York Times, "Ireland Takes On the Catholic Church Again. This Time It’s About Schools.," 1 June 2018 Powers’s dominant mode of narrative is synopsis, a necessary crutch given the novel’s mob of characters and epochal chronological scale. — Nathaniel Rich, The Atlantic, "The Novel That Asks, ‘What Went Wrong With Mankind?’," 11 May 2018 In that light, turning away from Google and Amazon reflects the investing philosophy that has been core to Berkshire Hathaway’s epochal success. — David Z. Morris, Fortune, "Warren Buffett Says He Was Wrong About Google and Amazon," 6 May 2018

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

27 May 2019

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The first known use of epochal was in 1685

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