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 The former touts Mohamed Salah, an epochal star with ample motivation after his fraught final campaign with Liverpool. — Christopher Hamill, New York Times, 15 June 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 But the possibility of an epochal discovery that radically changes our understanding of the universe’s history and solves one of the greatest mysteries in modern astrophysics is too alluring to ignore. — Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 4 June 2026 The Cane Ridge Revival would become an epochal moment in American religious history, one of the most visible manifestations of what historians would later refer to as the Second Great Awakening. — Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 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
  • The three momentous events stand on their own, detached enough to seem entirely unrelated.
    — Vahe Gregorian July 4, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
  • At the time, this seemed like the more momentous day, as John Adams wrote in a letter to his wife Abigail on July 3.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 3 July 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
  • Challenged to score runs even before that fateful Saturday of injuries, the Guardians have been forced to rely upon young prospects to make contributions to the team.
    — Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Knight treated the enthusiastic Annecy crowd to a look at the entire opening act of the film, introducing Prue Mckeel and her family in Portland as well as the events leading up to the fateful kidnapping of her brother.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 29 June 2026
Definition of fateful
Adjective
  • For our hunter-gatherer ancestors, getting enough of these critical nutrients was a daily life-and-death struggle.
    — Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
  • The life-and-death stakes were raised when the former high school series jumped five years to show a now-young adult Rue becoming a drug mule and working for rival kingpins (Martha Kelly’s Laurie also took her own life in the finale).
    — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026
Definition of life-and-death
Adjective
  • Both Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers applauded the recent letters from Congress to Quebec, saying getting American wine back into Canada is crucial to aiding their struggling industry.
    — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 3 July 2026
  • Fairview a ‘crucial’ crossing The two Fairview bridges were built 44 years apart.
    — Mark Dee July 3, Idaho Statesman, 3 July 2026
Definition of crucial

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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 8 Jul. 2026.

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