as in improvements
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
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Recent Examples of breakthroughs
Here are five life-changing breakthroughs and discoveries that experts think are Nobel-worthy.
—
Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
Conclusion With engineering breakthroughs and evolving automotive and aviation standards, flying cars are no longer a distant sci-fi fantasy.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
Though still in its early stages, the system is said to leverage breakthroughs in big data to integrate multi-domain sensor information.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Chinese stocks, once seen as uninvestable by many, have lured back some foreign investors, spurred by the rise of tech startup DeepSeek and a series of surprising breakthroughs in high-tech industries.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
Lately, some intriguing research papers have tackled this problem — a reminder that there may still be some fundamental breakthroughs that could upend the industry.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Every company wants to make breakthroughs with AI.
—Brian Moore, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Shane Smith and the Saints and Southall both saw significant rises in prominence afterward, and both of the band’s Nashville openers, Josh Meloy and the Droptines, look poised for breakthroughs.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
In some cases, those meetings have resulted in breakthroughs.
—Daniel Depetris, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
Conclusion With engineering breakthroughs and evolving automotive and aviation standards, flying cars are no longer a distant sci-fi fantasy.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
Though still in its early stages, the system is said to leverage breakthroughs in big data to integrate multi-domain sensor information.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Chinese stocks, once seen as uninvestable by many, have lured back some foreign investors, spurred by the rise of tech startup DeepSeek and a series of surprising breakthroughs in high-tech industries.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
Lately, some intriguing research papers have tackled this problem — a reminder that there may still be some fundamental breakthroughs that could upend the industry.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Every company wants to make breakthroughs with AI.
—Brian Moore, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Shane Smith and the Saints and Southall both saw significant rises in prominence afterward, and both of the band’s Nashville openers, Josh Meloy and the Droptines, look poised for breakthroughs.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
In some cases, those meetings have resulted in breakthroughs.
—Daniel Depetris, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breakthroughs
Noun
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Question 2 asks voters to approve $35 million for city facilities and infrastructure maintenance, including HVAC upgrades, safety improvements and energy efficiency upgrades.—
Maritza Dominguez,
AZCentral.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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The measure has been long sought to ensure that every penny of tax paid at the pump goes toward road and bridge improvements.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In the end the project fizzled; publishers weren't excited and the advances mentioned would never pay for all our globetrotting.—
Ron Arias,
PEOPLE,
5 Oct. 2025
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There is, however, no shortage of worthy scientific advances from which the Nobel Prize committees can pick.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In 2018, because of advancements in technology, the unknown Y-STR DNA was submitted for retesting, getting more sophisticated results but still no name of a possible suspect.—
Jean Casarez,
CNN Money,
5 Oct. 2025
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His main goal behind joining Interesting Engineering is to learn more about how the recent technological advancements are helping human beings on both societal and individual levels in their daily lives.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breakthroughs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breakthroughs. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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