Definition of SEMINAL

Examples of seminal in a Sentence

Kandel was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2000 for his seminal observation that it was in the action of the synapses between cells that memory existed, not in the cells themselves, and that a molecule called cyclic AMP was what allowed cells to retain memory over the long term. — Michael Greenberg, New York Review of Books, 4 Dec. 2008 Writer Susan Sontag died December 28 at age 71 after a long battle with cancer. She left behind an impressive body of fiction and criticism, including her seminal 1960s essays "Notes on Camp" and "Against Interpretation." — Allan Gurganus, Advocate, 1 Feb. 2005 I wonder if the curators who organized "Matisse Picasso" ever asked themselves why it was that Alfred H. Barr Jr., the first director of the Museum of Modern Art and the guiding spirit behind the museum's seminal exhibitions of both Picasso and Matisse, never mounted a show like the one that has now arrived at MoMA QNS. Such an exhibition might seem to be logical, almost inevitable for the Museum of Modern Art. — Jed Perl, New Republic, 3 Mar. 2003

Recent Examples on the Web

Turrell, a pioneer in manipulating natural and electric light as a medium, is one of the seminal figures of Southern California’s Light and Space movement. — Jay Cheshes, WSJ, "James Turrell’s New Masterpiece in the Desert," 14 Jan. 2019 Not until the last few chapters does Santopietro finally try to make a definitive case for the importance of this seminal American novel. — New York Times, "Lots of People Love ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ Roxane Gay Isn’t One of Them.," 18 June 2018 Hatchet’ Hatchet, the seminal 1987 young-adult novel by Gary Paulsen, is about a 13-year-old boy named Brian whose bush plane crashes somewhere in Canada’s North Woods. — Megan Michelson, Outside Online, "Live the Adventures from Your Favorite Books and Movies," 6 June 2018 Atwood’s seminal dystopian novel, published in 1985, examines a world in which women are removed from the workplace and, in some cases, forced to bear children for wealthy couples. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, "Elisabeth Moss Quotes The Handmaid's Tale Writer Margaret Atwood in Golden Globes Speech," 7 Jan. 2018 In celebration of Doom’s 25th anniversary, one of its co-creators has announced a new level pack for the seminal first-person shooter (via Polygon). — Jon Porter, The Verge, "Doom is getting a 25th anniversary mod from the game’s co-creator," 11 Dec. 2018 That collection was a seminal one for the Great Leggings-As-Pants Comeback, encouraging styling people everywhere to wear their black leggings under dresses, tunics, and so on. — Amy Hou, Glamour, "The Black Leggings I Never Hesitate to Wear As Pants," 4 Dec. 2018 Designed by seminal mid-century Los Angeles architect A. Quincy Jones, the house boasts the expansive interior spaces and indoor-outdoor integration often associated with Jones. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Breezy midcentury modern asks $629K in Southern California," 8 Oct. 2018 But interestingly, the phrase first entered the American consciousness via a concurring opinion in a seminal Supreme Court case. — Chad Pergram, Fox News, "What 'The Twilight Zone' has to do with one of the most important Supreme Court decisions in history," 28 Sep. 2018

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