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epochal

adjective

Definition of epochalnext
as in momentous

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of epochal Its demographics have also undergone an epochal shift. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026 These are huge, epochal changes for older Americans that have happened in just the past 15 years. — Ken Stern, USA Today, 28 Feb. 2026 In a city willing to displace a community garden or a newsstand to claw back a few extra feet, the Armory’s yawning, epochal emptiness seems like poking through your medicine cabinet and finding an alternate universe behind it. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 10 Feb. 2026 The whip-smart, late-20th-century retelling of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew is one of the most epochal teen rom-coms. — James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for epochal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for epochal
  1. momentous
  2. earthshaking
  3. fateful
  4. life-and-death
  5. crucial
Adjective
  • Yes, Zodiac is a momentous movie, a masterpiece, and Unabomber is not.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
  • To become, in other words, the hero that’s needed to turn this momentous struggle around.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of momentous
Adjective
  • This call, the last time the founders would address their company, was an earthshaking moment for a workplace whose leaders inspired so much loyalty that several employees shared matching tattoos with Olguin.
    — Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 19 July 2023
  • It also should be said that the $85 million value of the missing parts matches the price to procure one F-35A fighter—obviously an important sum, but not an earthshaking loss.
    — Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 8 June 2023
Definition of earthshaking
Adjective
  • But his voice tyrannically resounds with sadistic orders and conservative cultural commentary during the second-act flashback scene, in which a fateful day on the set of the show changes the lives of Ronika and Blair.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Merely seven months before a fateful presidential election which has the far right leading polls, the French TV and film industry is in shambles.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of fateful
Adjective
  • But in the meantime, before all these cosmic, life-and-death questions can be answered, this episode of Lanterns makes for a meaningful memorial to a deeply imperfect hero.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Decisions about traffic signals, speed limits and congestion solutions often come with life-and-death implications.
    — Bryan Mistele, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of life-and-death
Adjective
  • With severe weather forecast for Boston, where the Cubs are slated to play three games crucial to the National League playoff seeding, Major League Baseball is looking at several scenarios to make sure the games get played.
    — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The pipeline has acted as a crucial relief valve for the oil market during the Iran war.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of crucial

Browse Nearby Words

epoch
epochal
epochs
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Cite this Entry

“Epochal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/epochal. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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