Synonyms of breakthrough

breakthrough

noun

ˈbrāk-ˌthrü 

as in improvement

an instance of notable progress in the development of knowledge, technology, or skill

Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin was one of medicine's great breakthroughs, for penicillin became the first antibiotic to successfully combat bacterial infections in humans

Synonyms & Similar Words

• improvement
• advance
• advancement
• enhancement
• development
• innovation
• discovery
• refinement
• evolution
• increase
• upturn
• upswing
• revival
• amelioration
• strengthening
• maturation
• enlightenment
• growth
• betterment
• find
• renaissance
• education
• boost
• expansion
• quantum leap
• uplift
• windfall
• gestation
• ripening
• elaboration
• civilization
• melioration
• upgrade
• perfection
• heightening
• edification
• uptrend
• renascence
• invention

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• setback
• breakdown
• collapse
• crash
• reduction
• impediment
• hindrance
• decrease
• failing
• decline
• deterioration
• stumbling block
• worsening
• lapse
• weakening
• decay
• degeneration
• sinking
• impairment
• descent
• drawback
• shortcoming
• slowing
• lessening
• decadence
• downgrade
• detriment
• glitch
• declension
• diminishment
• disablement
• flagging
• languishment
• ebbing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of breakthrough

By letting labs explore far more possibilities, AI raises the odds of finding the next breakthrough. — Harry Booth, Time, 7 Aug. 2026

Like Amazon, Airbnb, and many other startup breakthrough stories, Whatnot traces its origins back to a small rental home. — Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026

His international breakthrough came with the In Bruges (2009), a dark crime comedy featuring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, who would re-team with McDonagh on The Banshees of Inisherin. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026

The 2023 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to the scientists who made this breakthrough discovery. — Li Li, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026