groundbreaking

[ground-brey-king]

noun

1. the act or ceremony of breaking ground for a new construction project.

adjective

1. of or relating to such a ceremony.

2. originating or pioneering a new endeavor, field of inquiry, or the like.

   Pasteur's groundbreaking work in bacteriology.

Word History and Origins

Origin of groundbreaking¹

First recorded in 1905–10; ground ¹ + break + -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

That’s the unsettling possibility described in a groundbreaking new study published recently in the journal Geosphere.

From Los Angeles Times

After the walkout, writers did secure groundbreaking protections for AI in contracts, but they are still confronting AI models ripping off their work without compensation.

From Los Angeles Times

Key to her groundbreaking discoveries were her curiosity and ability - quietly - to observe.

From BBC

In other words, today's smelly sneakers could be tomorrow's groundbreaking science.

From BBC

Made in 2006, the year the artist published “Lynching in the West: 1850-1935,” a revealing and much-admired book of his groundbreaking research into the subject, it shows the aftermath of an infamous Bay Area lynching.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• innovative 
• revolutionary