as in milestone
a point in a chain of events at which an important change (as in one's fortunes) occurs
a watershed moment in her life came when she inherited a reasonable sum of money and was able to start her own coffee shop
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in pivotal
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of watershed
Dylan Jackson, ABC News, 6 May 2026
Greylord was a watershed in its use of eavesdropping devices and a mole to obtain evidence instead of relying on wrongdoers to become government informants.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026
Yeahs parlayed their New York hero status into career artists, the Mooney Suzuki, whose 1999 EP was heralded as a watershed moment for the scene, had the unfortunate fate of missing out on the boom.
—Daniel Kohn, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for watershed
Noun
This watershed feeds the region’s carpet mills, which use vast amounts of water, especially in the dyeing process.
—Dylan Jackson, ABC News, 6 May 2026
Greylord was a watershed in its use of eavesdropping devices and a mole to obtain evidence instead of relying on wrongdoers to become government informants.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
Adjective
Maher cited Walmart’s recent updates to its policies regarding Sparky, its own AI shopping agent, as a watershed moment for the industry.
—Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026
Yeahs parlayed their New York hero status into career artists, the Mooney Suzuki, whose 1999 EP was heralded as a watershed moment for the scene, had the unfortunate fate of missing out on the boom.
—Daniel Kohn, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for watershed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watershed
Noun
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Coming off a milestone anniversary season, and after a summer shakeup to its cast, the show this year brought in a mix of reliable, returning hosts like Ariana Grande and Melissa McCarthy and first-timers like Sabrina Carpenter and Finn Wolfhard.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
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In an effort to provide a vibrant community space, the city of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy broke ground at McKinley Park, marking a major milestone in the park's revitalization.—
Jessica Riley,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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This article contains pivotal plot points and details of Nemesis, which debuted all eight episodes of its first season Thursday night on Netflix.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
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In the episode, Morris plays Hazel, a sponsor to one of the pivotal characters.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
15 May 2026
Noun
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That climaxes in a kaleidoscope of styles where Esteban, directing one scene, erupts in fury, reverting to a verbal and physical violence which Emilia obviously knew and suffered as child, Sorogoyen explains.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
16 May 2026
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But Le Corroller is definitely in charge here, orchestrating the squishy mayhem right up to the unusually bleak climax that fully delivers on the premise.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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An epochal moment arrived in 2011, in the era of the mommy blog, when the then popular website Moms Who Need Wine teamed up with the California Wine Club for a subscription program known as the Wine Mom Series.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
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Its demographics have also undergone an epochal shift.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Ahead of the landmark relocation of its Sundance Film Festival to Boulder, Sundance Institute has appointed Bloomerang PR as its Colorado Agency of Record, announcing new programming set for this summer.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
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While there are no landmark sights in this area, the neighboring cityscape and gardens add an energy that weary road warriors can appreciate.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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During my lifetime there have been 55 years in which my country has engaged in prolonged and endless conflicts or wars, few of which have brought a decisive victory.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
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What initially looked like a decisive campaign by the US and Israel has evolved into a stagnant and prolonged conflict, with the threat of further escalation hanging over the region.—
Amena Bakr,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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Not wrong for much of the last three decades — but Saturday night’s gig, and all the joyous revelry surrounding it, showed why the Live ’25 Tour has been payoff enough for none of them to look back in anger at any of it.—
Andrew Unterberger,
Billboard,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Two women talk for the best part of three-and-a-quarter-hours and Ryusuke Hamaguchi makes of it an unassumingly momentous miracle.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
15 May 2026
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The momentous occasion made that year’s awards historic.—
Lily Moayeri,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Watershed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watershed. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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