seminal
adjective
sem·i·nal
ˈse-mə-nᵊl 
1
: of, relating to, or consisting of seed or semen
seminal discharge
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
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
Legend’s Historic Chart Run Continues Across all five tallies where Legend currently appears, Marley’s seminal release has already spent hundreds of weeks.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
The seminal moment of the first-round sweep of Phoenix last season was Edwards jawing at Durant, his favorite player, after hitting a shot over him in Game 1.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Perhaps this explains some of the reasoning between his choice of subject in his seminal 1963 film The Birds.
—Irene Coltrinari, Vogue, 25 Apr. 2025
Damaged in the famous naval Battle of the Midway – a seminal clash between sea and air power – the carrier was ultimately sunk when a Japanese submarine torpedoed the ship while it was being hauled back to Pearl Harbor.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for seminal
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Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
The seminal moment of the first-round sweep of Phoenix last season was Edwards jawing at Durant, his favorite player, after hitting a shot over him in Game 1.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Perhaps this explains some of the reasoning between his choice of subject in his seminal 1963 film The Birds.
—Irene Coltrinari, Vogue, 25 Apr. 2025
Damaged in the famous naval Battle of the Midway – a seminal clash between sea and air power – the carrier was ultimately sunk when a Japanese submarine torpedoed the ship while it was being hauled back to Pearl Harbor.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for seminal
Cite this Entry
“Seminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seminal. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
seminal
adjective
sem·i·nal
ˈsem-ən-ᵊl
: of, relating to, or consisting of seed or semen
seminal discharge
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