groundbreaking
Americannoun
adjective
-
of or relating to such a ceremony.
-
originating or pioneering a new endeavor, field of inquiry, or the like.
Pasteur's groundbreaking work in bacteriology.
Etymology
Origin of groundbreaking
First recorded in 1905–10; ground 1 + break + -ing 1, -ing 2
Explanation
Something groundbreaking is brand new, important, and original, like groundbreaking research that proves your cat really does love you. As a noun, groundbreaking is the traditional way of marking the very first day of a building project, when the ground is officially "broken," either literally with a shovel or figuratively. You could even attend the groundbreaking of a groundbreaking new hotel that's heated and cooled with sustainable geothermal energy. This word comes from the phrase to break ground, originally used to describe both construction and planting crops.
Vocabulary lists containing groundbreaking
Kwame Crashes the Underworld
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The Ice Cream Machine
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Loch Ness Uncovered
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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.
Poetic, melancholy and groundbreaking for its era, many people consider it one of the best video games ever made.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
The computer scientist behind groundbreaking research that helped land Nasa's astronauts on the Moon, has died aged 90.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Over the next decade or so, he built the company into a Hollywood powerhouse, including the groundbreaking computer-animated feature movie, “Toy Story.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
The group touts that Proposition 38 will make California “a national leader in groundbreaking medical research,” according to the campaign website.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
In 1927, when Charles Lindbergh made his groundbreaking first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic, less than 1 percent of American pilots were women.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
