momentous

adjective

mo·​men·​tous mō-ˈmen-təs How to pronounce momentous (audio)
mə-
: having great or lasting importance : consequential, significant
a momentous decision
a momentous event/occasion
The Senate begins a momentous debate on health care today …The New York Times
Deydey usually talked about his travels, the places he'd seen and the people, the close calls and momentous encounters with animals, weather, other Anishinabeg, and best of all, ghosts.Louise Erdrich
The late nineteenth century was strewn with inventions. Many were momentous, but few affected men and women more closely than the bicycle and its motorized offspring: motorcycle, motor-car and aeroplane.Eugen Weber
momentously adverb
a momentously important decision
… a … twist that is executed differently from the comic book story, but is just as dramatically and momentously presented. The Philippines Daily Inquirer
momentousness noun
But other East Europeans had little time to marvel at the momentousness of the moment. Just one day after the fall of the [Berlin] Wall, Bulgaria's dour leader of 35 years, Todor Zhivkov, was ousted. Stephen E. Deane

Examples of momentous in a Sentence

My college graduation was a momentous day in my life. a momentous occasion that will go down in the history books
Recent Examples on the Web To mark this momentous occasion, the Glamour staff got together (via Slack) to watch the reunion, sharing all of our reactions and hot takes in real time. Glamour, 14 Mar. 2024 On Tuesday, five days before a momentous, final Pac-12 showdown with Stanford, JuJu Watkins provided a simple insight into her worldview: the game of basketball is about who can adapt the fastest. Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 11 Mar. 2024 In her caption, the star reflected on the momentous occasion. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 Documenting the sighting with a photograph made Mr. Kaestner the first birder to reach 10,000 species, a momentous achievement once considered unreachable. Joe Trezza, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Richard Pan, from Yonkers, New York, knew the decision would have momentous consequences for his medical career. Cathie Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 The park at the heart of the project is Belle Isle, the beloved island at the center of Detroit where residents and visitors alike have gathered for decades to escape, recreate, and celebrate everyday moments and momentous milestones. Amy Sacka, Detroit Free Press, 18 Feb. 2024 Goreski marked the momentous occasion on their London trip, too. Kaitlin Stevens, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 The advent of effective therapeutics for weight loss is heralded as momentous, particularly in light of the fact that more than 40% of the U.S. population is considered overweight or obese. Joshua Cohen, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'momentous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1631, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of momentous was in 1631

Dictionary Entries Near momentous

Cite this Entry

“Momentous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/momentous. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

momentous

adjective
mo·​men·​tous mō-ˈment-əs How to pronounce momentous (audio)
: very important
a momentous decision
momentously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on momentous

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