Meaning & use
groundbreaking
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparableapproving
Introducing a new and important idea or method that moves a field forward.
Grammar: Goes before a noun or after be: groundbreaking research, The study was groundbreaking.
Patterns
- groundbreaking work
- a groundbreaking study
Her groundbreaking research changed how doctors treat the disease.
The band's first album was groundbreaking for its time.
It was a groundbreaking decision that opened the sport to women.
adjectivebefore a noun
Relating to the first digging that marks the start of a building project.
Grammar: Appears before nouns such as ceremony: a groundbreaking ceremony.
Patterns
- a groundbreaking ceremony
The mayor attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new library.
A groundbreaking event is planned for spring.
Officials held the groundbreaking at noon.
Word forms
| comparative | more groundbreaking |
|---|---|
| superlative | most groundbreaking |
Common combinations
- groundbreaking research
- Groundbreaking research reshaped the field.
- groundbreaking discovery
- The team announced a groundbreaking discovery.
- groundbreaking ceremony
- The groundbreaking ceremony drew a large crowd.
- truly groundbreaking
- The film was truly groundbreaking.
- groundbreaking work
- Her groundbreaking work won a prize.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pioneering
- Pioneering stresses being first to explore an area, whereas groundbreaking stresses a major original advance.
- revolutionary
- Revolutionary suggests a complete overturning of how things are done, which is stronger than groundbreaking.
- innovative
- Innovative is broader and milder, as it can describe any new idea, even a small one.
Opposites
Word family
- ground-breaker noun
- a person or thing that introduces something new
- groundbreaker noun
- a variant spelling
- groundbreakingly adverb
- in a way that is new and important
- break ground verb
- to begin digging for a building, or to do something new
Commonly confused: groundbreaking or groundwork?
groundbreaking vs groundwork
Groundwork means preparation done before a main task, not a new advance.
Practice
Which is the best example of groundbreaking work?
Choose one answer.
Groundbreaking work introduces something new and important, as the first vaccine does. The others are minor or copied.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “groundbreaking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.