epochal

adjective ep·och·al \ ˈe-pə-kəl , ˈe-ˌpä-kəl \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

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

—

epochally

adverb

Recent Examples of epochal from the Web

This friend was a political activist who’d been present at many epochal moments of the struggle against apartheid in the 1980s and the remaking of the nation in the 1990s.

— eve fairbanks, The New Republic, "The Scapegoating of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela," 5 Apr. 2018
Users will also be able to filter Snapchat lenses over their faces, like the epochal rainbow vomiting mouth or puppy dog ears.

— thuy ong, The Verge, "Snapchat introduces group video chat and friend tagging in Stories," 3 Apr. 2018
In short, things couldn't be further removed from the 2011 Arab Spring, which began with protests in Tunisia but turned into an epochal event when anti-Mubarak demonstrators took over Cairo's Tahrir Square.

— ishaan tharoor, Washington Post, "Egypt’s farcical election and the long Arab winter," 28 Mar. 2018
Welcome to Reuters, the news agency which faces, today, the most epochal decision in its history.

— felix salmon, Recode, "Reuters just got $10 billion to build a sustainable news business. How should it spend it?," 16 Mar. 2018
That will be especially important with the approaching epochal summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

— stephen collinson, CNN, "Tillerson ouster shows Trump is unleashed," 13 Mar. 2018
Fast forward a decade later and Eminem's longtime manager, Paul Rosenberg, was appointed president/ceo of the epochal label in 2017.

— michael saponara, Billboard, "A Timeline of the Major Events That Defined Def Jam's Legacy in Hip-Hop," 25 Jan. 2018
The epochal mission lifted off at the very end of the day on Oct. 4, 1957, at 22:28 Moscow time.

— anatoly zak, Popular Mechanics, "The Rocket That Launched Sputnik and Started the Space Race," 4 Oct. 2017
The Post, like All the President’s Men, and like Spotlight, is about reaching a specific end—the publishing of a series of epochal news stories.

— michael miner, Chicago Reader, "Film / Media / News / Politics The Post is a Happy Days for old journalists," 29 Jan. 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.

First Known Use of epochal

1685

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

Learn More about epochal

See words that rhyme with epochal

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up epochal? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

epochal

Definition of epochal

epochally

Recent Examples of epochal from the Web

First Known Use of epochal

Other Geology Terms

Learn More about epochal

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

mollycoddle

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

'Rather Than': Is It a Conjunction or Preposition?

‘Magnate’ and ‘Magnet’: Poles Apart

All the Hits

The Fossil Encased in "Case In Point"

Ask the Editors

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Words of the Year: 1066

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

April 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Name That Thing

SCRABBLE® Sprint

'Rather Than': Is It a Conjunction or Preposition?

April 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Trending: Janelle Monáe Out as 'Pansexual'

All the Hits

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

epochal

Definition of epochal

epochally

Recent Examples of epochal from the Web

First Known Use of epochal

Other Geology Terms

Learn More about epochal

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'Rather Than': Is It a Conjunction or Preposition?

April 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Trending: Janelle Monáe Out as 'Pansexual'

All the Hits

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes