momentous
Americanadjective
adjective
Related Words
See heavy.
Other Word Forms
- momentously adverb
- momentousness noun
- unmomentous adjective
- unmomentously adverb
- unmomentousness noun
Etymology
Origin of momentous
Explanation
Momentous describes an important event or moment in time. It is used for a time of great consequence or for a major accomplishment, and is almost always reserved for good things. When a moment is so great you know you'll never forget it, you have just experienced something momentous. It can be personal — perhaps the day you were named prom queen; or something historic — like the day Elizabeth was named Queen of England. Momentous and momentary share the root word moment but momentary describes just one fleeting moment in time. A momentary occurrence can certainly be momentous, but it's not always the case.
Vocabulary lists containing momentous
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 3
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "M"
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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.
Closing off a momentous week for both companies, CoreWeave and Anthropic announced a multi-year compute agreement on Friday that’s scheduled to go online later this year.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
With a tour looming in the summer and a first-time Coachella slot coming next month, Slayyyter is winding up for a momentous year.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
Mr. Scott charts a course through these momentous events with great skill, producing a book that is readable and accessible but bedded in authoritative scholarship.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026
Hoping to build on their momentous victory at Twickenham, Ireland got up and running quickly when in-form centre Stuart McCloskey teed up Ulster team-mate Stockdale for his first Test try since July 2021.
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026
It is not coincidence that such a momentous decision centered on the schoolhouse.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Definitions 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.
