momentous
adjective
mo·men·tous
mō-ˈmen-təs 
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
The New York TimesDeydey 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
Louise ErdrichThe 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
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
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
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
The Panthers’ momentous win over the Cards last year came right after the team’s letdown loss against the Dallas Cowboys at home — one that came thanks to a four-turnover game by Young, too.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
The Chiefs can either reboot with a momentous win or suffer their first 0-2 start since 2014 — and the first three-game losing streak since Mahomes became QB1 in 2018.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Egan sat down with Southern Living ahead of this momentous occasion to tell us all about it.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2025
The contentious issue, which was regarded as a momentous turning point when it was adopted by the European Union in 2023, has been a hot topic at the IAA Mobility auto show in Munich this week.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for momentous
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Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
The Chiefs can either reboot with a momentous win or suffer their first 0-2 start since 2014 — and the first three-game losing streak since Mahomes became QB1 in 2018.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Egan sat down with Southern Living ahead of this momentous occasion to tell us all about it.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2025
The contentious issue, which was regarded as a momentous turning point when it was adopted by the European Union in 2023, has been a hot topic at the IAA Mobility auto show in Munich this week.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for momentous
Cite this Entry
“Momentous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/momentous. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
momentous
adjective
mo·men·tous
mō-ˈment-əs
: very important
a momentous decision
momentously
adverb
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