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Synonyms

groundbreaker

American  
[graund-bray-ker] / ˈgraʊndˌbreɪ kər /

noun

  1. a person who is an originator, innovator, or pioneer in a particular activity.

  2. an original idea, product, or the like that leads to or makes possible further developments, growth, improvements, etc.


Etymology

Origin of groundbreaker

ground 1 + breaker 1


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.

See Examples For:

“Louis was a groundbreaker, a brilliant, kind man, and an incendiary presence on screen. Each of us was lucky to have him.”

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 29, 2024

A new director, Alan Solomon, arrived in 1962 determined to make the museum a groundbreaker in introducing what he called “the new art,” and he didn’t waste a minute.

From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2022

The show already had proved a groundbreaker at this year’s Screen Actors Guild, where Lee and Jung received the first guild acting trophies for a non-English language show.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 12, 2022

How do you measure the legacy of someone who is a groundbreaker?

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2022

Her appeal as a sympathetic groundbreaker is what drives audiences to roar at her entrance onstage, before she’s even danced a step.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 11, 2022

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