groundbreaking

American  

[ground-brey-king] / ˈgraʊndˌbreɪ kɪŋ /

noun

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

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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.

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.

Example Sentences

Sir David and members of his former production team reflected on the making of their groundbreaking 1979 series Life on Earth for a documentary broadcast last weekend.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

That an artist controlled the narrative behind their own work was both novel and groundbreaking at a time when the art market was just beginning to dominate the gallery scene.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

Nike, for instance, had its groundbreaking deal with Michael Jordan in the 1980s.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026

The results are profound: Scientists from around the world used to compete to do their groundbreaking research in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Over the next decade, the small company took the videogame industry by storm, releasing a series of bestselling action and adventure games, all using a groundbreaking first-person graphics engine created by Halliday.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

• innovative
• revolutionary