momentous
adjective
mo·men·tous
mō-ˈmen-təs 
mə-
: having great or lasting importance : consequential, significant
a momentous decision
a momentous event/occasion
The Senate begins a momentous debate on health care today …—
The New York Times
The New York TimesDeydey usually talked about his travels, the places he'd seen and the people, the close calls and momentous encounters with animals, weather, other Anishinabeg, and best of all, ghosts.—Louise Erdrich
Louise ErdrichThe late nineteenth century was strewn with inventions. Many were momentous, but few affected men and women more closely than the bicycle and its motorized offspring: motorcycle, motor-car and aeroplane.—Eugen Weber
Eugen Weber
momentously
adverb
a momentously important decision
… a … twist that is executed differently from the comic book story, but is just as dramatically and momentously presented.
—The Philippines Daily Inquirer
The Philippines Daily Inquirer
momentousness
noun
But other East Europeans had little time to marvel at the momentousness of the moment. Just one day after the fall of the [Berlin] Wall, Bulgaria's dour leader of 35 years, Todor Zhivkov, was ousted.
—Stephen E. Deane
Stephen E. Deane
Synonyms
Examples of momentous in a Sentence
My college graduation was a momentous day in my life.
a momentous occasion that will go down in the history books
Recent Examples on the Web
Imagine walking into a room where a momentous decision has been made about your future, yet somehow you were never informed.
—Sherzod Odilov, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
The highly anticipated addition of Bao Li and Qing Boa follows the momentous arrival of Yun Chaun and Xin Bao to the San Diego Zoo in June, which was the first time pandas had entered the U.S. in 21 years, after a period of diplomatic strain with China.
—T. Michelle Murphy, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2024
Their dream came spectacularly true on that momentous day in 1974.
—Donald C. Johanson, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
But even in the wake of these momentous developments, Puerto Rico’s constitutional relationship to the United States remained unchanged.
—Christina D. Ponsa-Kraus / Made By History, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for momentous 
Sherzod Odilov, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
The highly anticipated addition of Bao Li and Qing Boa follows the momentous arrival of Yun Chaun and Xin Bao to the San Diego Zoo in June, which was the first time pandas had entered the U.S. in 21 years, after a period of diplomatic strain with China.
—T. Michelle Murphy, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2024
Their dream came spectacularly true on that momentous day in 1974.
—Donald C. Johanson, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
But even in the wake of these momentous developments, Puerto Rico’s constitutional relationship to the United States remained unchanged.
—Christina D. Ponsa-Kraus / Made By History, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for momentous
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'momentous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near momentous
Cite this Entry
“Momentous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/momentous. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
momentous
adjective
mo·men·tous
mō-ˈment-əs
: very important
a momentous decision
momentously
adverb
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