as in influential
very important especially in having a strong influence on things that come later
She authored several seminal papers that are frequently cited in later works because they laid the theoretical groundwork for future studies.
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Recent Examples of seminal
Thirty years later, fans count the Blue Album as one of the band's seminal works.
—
Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025
Pride celebrations happened long before they were recognized by the federal government, commemorating the Stonewall riots in June 1969, a seminal moment in the birth of a national gay rights movement.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 6 June 2025
While Jordan Brand has been more conservative in the number of releases for its seminal sneaker, Nike has been much more prolific in dropping Air Max 95s with the Big Bubble treatment.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 2 June 2025
The seminal dishes are almost always empanadas to start, as a snack or a meal or culinary introduction to the country.
—Liza B. Zimmerman, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for seminal
Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025
Pride celebrations happened long before they were recognized by the federal government, commemorating the Stonewall riots in June 1969, a seminal moment in the birth of a national gay rights movement.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 6 June 2025
While Jordan Brand has been more conservative in the number of releases for its seminal sneaker, Nike has been much more prolific in dropping Air Max 95s with the Big Bubble treatment.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 2 June 2025
The seminal dishes are almost always empanadas to start, as a snack or a meal or culinary introduction to the country.
—Liza B. Zimmerman, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for seminal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for seminal
Adjective
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The movie charts the influential British rock group's origin story in the late 1960s, from their earliest days – and how everybody wasn't all about that now-iconic name – to their meteoric rise as one of the world's biggest bands.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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Kennedy, who has a history of hostility toward vaccines and has promoted conspiracy theories, earlier this week took the unprecedented step of removing all 17 members of the influential Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP.—
Bruce Japsen,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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Your town may have a trash pickup walk, a Thanksgiving turkey trot or a stroll to historic sites.—
Elizabeth Passarella,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
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No, something far more historic was happening that day.—
Patrick Salland,
Kansas City Star,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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This is one of the most important services of their lives.—
Buddha Lo,
People.com,
13 June 2025
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But what’s even more important is how the couple got together in the first place.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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The most authoritative research on the risk to California was conducted in 2015, but little has changed in the past decade.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
8 June 2025
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In fact, their literature review suggests that many dog owners naturally fall into parenting patterns that largely mirror those of actual parents: permissive, authoritarian or authoritative.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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Current Treatment Options for Rosacea for Women in Midlife Because rosacea can worsen or change in midlife, dermatologists often recommend a tailored approach that takes into account both hormonal changes and skin sensitivity, making midlife a critical time to seek diagnosis and treatment.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
12 June 2025
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The lads were famously bowled over by an early listen, but the record Wilson poured his time into wasn’t an immediate critical or chart success back at home.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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Alcaraz has now beaten Sinner – who had won 20 straight major matches – five straight times.—
Adam Zagoria,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
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The arrival of humans was arguably another major and rapid evolutionary transition.—
Philip Ball,
Wired News,
8 June 2025
Adjective
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After experiencing remarkable growth during the pandemic with its groundbreaking mRNA vaccine, the company is now transitioning to a seasonal vaccine market, which has drastically affected sales.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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While Laika has begun working in live-action in recent years, the company is best known for its groundbreaking work on the stop-motion features Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Missing Link, each of which was nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Seminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/seminal. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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