seminal

American  

[sem-uh-nl] / ˈsɛm ə nl /

adjective

1. pertaining to, containing, or consisting of semen.

2. Botany. of or relating to seed.

3. having possibilities of future development.

4. highly original and influencing the development of future events.

   a seminal artist; seminal ideas.

   Synonyms:

   innovative, formative, primary, germinal

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seminal British  

/ ˈsɛmɪnəl /

adjective

1. potentially capable of development

2. highly original, influential, and important

3. rudimentary or unformed

4. of or relating to semen

   seminal fluid

5. biology of or relating to seed

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Other Word Forms

• interseminal adjective
• preseminal adjective
• seminality noun
• seminally adverb

Etymology

Origin of seminal

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin sēminālis, equivalent to sēmin- (stem of sēmen ) seed, semen + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

A TV adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s seminal 2001 novel, “The Corrections,” has finally found a home at Netflix.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

Singapore is managed in a way that "excludes accident and randomness", he wrote in Singapore Songlines, his seminal essay on the city's rapid makeover.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

He says it was a seminal moment in his life and one that set the course for decades of his military career, as Germany joined the U.S. in its global war on terror.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

CEO Andy Jassy said there are seminal opportunities in things like artificial intelligence, chips, robotics, and low earth orbit satellites, and they anticipate a strong long-term return on invested capital.

From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026

Played by Jared Leto in a seminal role, Jordan Catalano was the object of Claire Danes's character's affection in the cult-classic TV series My So-Called Life.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Related Words

• influential