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
When Benedict Nicolson published a seminal monograph on the artist in 1968, his subtitle was Painter of Light.
—Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
Their holdings include seminal works by Art Deco pioneer André Groult, architect Paul Dupré-Lafon, and cabinetmaker Eugène Printz, among others now coming to auction.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Blue Ivy Carter's arrival was a seminal moment in pop culture in 2012.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
Moist may be the seminal example, but there are certainly other words that people get grossed out by.
—Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for seminal
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Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
Their holdings include seminal works by Art Deco pioneer André Groult, architect Paul Dupré-Lafon, and cabinetmaker Eugène Printz, among others now coming to auction.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Blue Ivy Carter's arrival was a seminal moment in pop culture in 2012.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
Moist may be the seminal example, but there are certainly other words that people get grossed out by.
—Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for seminal
Cite this Entry
“Seminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seminal. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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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