Meaning & use
pivotal
Extremely important because it determines the outcome or direction of something.
See it in a sentence
The coach's halftime speech proved pivotal to the team's second-half comeback.
Her decision to move abroad was a pivotal moment in her career.
A note on using this word
"Pivotal" comes from "pivot," the point something turns on, so it suggests a moment everything else depends on.
Words with a similar meaning
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Words with an opposite meaning
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