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
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Recent Examples of breakthrough
The breakthrough has already demonstrated its ability to improve body armor.
—
Michael Franco, New Atlas, 17 Jan. 2025
One of Arquette's peers, Naomi Watts, whose breakthrough was her part in 2001's Mulholland Drive, shared her reaction to Lynch's death on social media.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 17 Jan. 2025
The agreement, however, was a major breakthrough after months of roller-coaster talks that often appeared to inch close to resolution, only to fall apart.
—Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
This analysis of an innovative AI breakthrough is part of my ongoing Forbes column coverage on the latest in AI including identifying and explaining various impactful AI complexities (see the link here).
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for breakthrough 
Michael Franco, New Atlas, 17 Jan. 2025
One of Arquette's peers, Naomi Watts, whose breakthrough was her part in 2001's Mulholland Drive, shared her reaction to Lynch's death on social media.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 17 Jan. 2025
The agreement, however, was a major breakthrough after months of roller-coaster talks that often appeared to inch close to resolution, only to fall apart.
—Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
This analysis of an innovative AI breakthrough is part of my ongoing Forbes column coverage on the latest in AI including identifying and explaining various impactful AI complexities (see the link here).
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for breakthrough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breakthrough
Noun
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Energy efficiency has improved again with the fourth-gen LG Display OLED, and the company says that color brightness can reach 2,100 nits, which is a 40 percent improvement compared to the prior version.—
Chris Welch,
The Verge,
16 Jan. 2025
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Season 2 was a major improvement, which was then usurped by season 3, which brought in new uniforms, new sets, and Michael Piller to head up the writing team.—
Chris Snellgrove,
EW.com,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But none of the deals or technological advances have stopped the losses from piling up at the companies building flying cars.—
Michael Liedtke,
The Denver Post,
18 Jan. 2025
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The chatbot is part of the spy agency’s drive to improve the tools available to C.I.A. analysts and its officers in the field, and to better understand adversaries’ technical advances.—
Julian E. Barnes,
New York Times,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Their efforts focus on solving key challenges that have impeded the advancement of fusion technology for over seventy years.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
24 Jan. 2025
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In 2025 After much advancement and excitement around AI technologies in 2024, the coming year promises to be much more measured and thoughtful.—
Arjun Pillai,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Breakthrough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breakthrough. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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