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Meaning & use

momentous

adjective·Academic

Last updated

UK/məˈmentəs/
US/moʊˈmentəs/

Meaning

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Very important because of the lasting effects it will have.

    Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: a momentous decision, the day was momentous.

    Patterns

    • a momentous occasion
    • a momentous decision

    Moving to another country was a momentous decision for the family.

    The signing of the treaty was a momentous event in history.

    It was a momentous day when the first results came in.

Word forms

comparativemore momentous
superlativemost momentous

Common combinations

momentous occasion
Their wedding was a momentous occasion for both families.
momentous decision
She faced a momentous decision about her career.
momentous event
Historians call the revolution a momentous event.
momentous change
The invention brought momentous change to farming.
momentous news
We waited anxiously for the momentous news.

Synonyms and how they differ

significant
Significant is much more general and can describe small but notable changes, while momentous implies huge, lasting weight.
historic
Historic points to events that will be remembered in history, while momentous can also describe a personal turning point.
far-reaching
Far-reaching focuses on how widely the effects spread, not how important the event feels.
pivotal
Pivotal stresses that other things turn on the event, whereas momentous stresses its overall importance.

Opposites

trivialinsignificantminor

Word family

moment noun
a short period of time, or importance
momentously adverb
in a way that has great importance
momentousness noun
the quality of being very important
momentum noun
force or speed of movement or progress

Commonly confused: momentous or momentary? momentous or momentum?

momentous vs momentary

Momentary means lasting only a very short time, which is unrelated to importance.

momentous vs momentum

Momentum is the force of motion or progress, not an adjective.

Practice

Voters knew the election would bring ____ changes to the country for decades.

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