as in pioneering
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Recent Examples of pathbreaking
Into the tumult come two new books that focus on some of the most pathbreaking journalists of the 1930s and ’40s.
—
Casey Schwartz, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
One of them is a 33-year-old woman from Wisconsin who cooked under the pathbreaking modernist Ferran Adrià, the purist sushi master Jiro Ono and the great codifier and systematizer of French haute cuisine, Auguste Escoffier.
—Pete Wells, New York Times, 2 June 2025
SpaceX has proven to be a pathbreaking effort to build commercial rocket ships.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Feb. 2025
War was Roosevelt’s excuse to justify a pathbreaking third term.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 29 Nov. 2024
So that was a pathbreaking achievement and became the pride of the Telugu people.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 29 Aug. 2023
Espy mentioned those remarks in his announcement video, emphasizing his pathbreaking role as Mississippi's first black congressman since Reconstruction.
—NBC News, 13 Nov. 2019
In her 2008 run, Clinton had been reluctant to emphasize her pathbreaking role.
—Jeet Heer, New Republic, 14 Sep. 2017
Casey Schwartz, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
One of them is a 33-year-old woman from Wisconsin who cooked under the pathbreaking modernist Ferran Adrià, the purist sushi master Jiro Ono and the great codifier and systematizer of French haute cuisine, Auguste Escoffier.
—Pete Wells, New York Times, 2 June 2025
SpaceX has proven to be a pathbreaking effort to build commercial rocket ships.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Feb. 2025
War was Roosevelt’s excuse to justify a pathbreaking third term.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 29 Nov. 2024
So that was a pathbreaking achievement and became the pride of the Telugu people.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 29 Aug. 2023
Espy mentioned those remarks in his announcement video, emphasizing his pathbreaking role as Mississippi's first black congressman since Reconstruction.
—NBC News, 13 Nov. 2019
In her 2008 run, Clinton had been reluctant to emphasize her pathbreaking role.
—Jeet Heer, New Republic, 14 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pathbreaking
Adjective
-
John Barbour, whose role in creating, producing and co-hosting the 1979-1984 NBC series Real People is recognized as a pioneering effort in the popularity of reality TV, died from natural causes on Sunday, May 10, at his home in Las Vegas.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
-
Jimmy was modeled after experimental artists like Ron Vawter, of The Wooster Group, and Frank Maya, a pioneering gay comedian — men who died young but fought to create until their last breath.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
The close approach, known as a lunar flyby, was a trailblazing moment in spaceflight, taking astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover of NASA, as well as Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, the farthest any human has been from Earth.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
7 Apr. 2026
-
There's no doubt there's more trailblazing to be done.—
Brittany Talarico,
People.com,
24 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pathbreaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pathbreaking. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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