Synonyms

momentous

American

[moh-men-tuhs] / moʊˈmɛn təs /

adjective

of great or far-reaching importance or consequence.

a momentous day.

Synonyms:

serious, crucial, critical, vital

Antonyms:

trifling, trivial

momentous British

/ məʊˈmɛntəs /

adjective

of great significance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See heavy.

Other Word Forms

momentously adverb
momentousness noun
unmomentous adjective
unmomentously adverb
unmomentousness noun

Etymology

Origin of momentous

First recorded in 1645–55; moment + -ous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Each is embarking on a distinct changeover path, but the common denominator of resetting is unmistakable and momentous.

From Barron's

Ahead of the Brussels meeting, EU leaders were keen to stress the momentous nature of the decision.

From BBC

“Almost every year feels momentous,” Hoffman says about her career path.

From Los Angeles Times

Hall said he sometimes lies among the bricks and listens to them, as if by some magic force they could relay all of the mundane and momentous experiences they’ve witnessed.

From Los Angeles Times

The theater’s importance as a locus of intelligent inquiry and intellectual ferment—not momentous, alas—owes a great debt to his influence.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023