pathbreaking
Americanadjective
-
pertaining to blazing a trail or path.
-
pioneering; innovative.
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.
Judy Pace, a pathbreaking model and star of blaxploitation films who appeared in television shows through the 1960s and ’70s and the hit made-for-TV movie “Brian’s Song,” died last week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
I spoke to three additional researchers who lauded the Johns Hopkins team for its pathbreaking work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Founded in 1955, PIA was a symbol of national pride and rapid growth for years, with a pathbreaking international network and even flight attendant uniforms created by French designer Pierre Cardin in the 1960s.
From Barron's ● Dec. 23, 2025
There has been no great frisson of ideas, no proud democratic exercise, no pathbreaking consensus.
From Slate ● Mar. 5, 2024
Einstein’s earlier pathbreaking work on the photoelectric effect suggested strongly that light was composed of a stream of “light quanta,” or particles.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
