seminal
adjective
sem·i·nal
ˈse-mə-nᵊl 
1
: of, relating to, or consisting of seed or semen
seminal discharge
Examples of seminal in a Sentence
Kandel was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2000 for his seminal observation that it was in the action of the synapses between cells that memory existed, not in the cells themselves, and that a molecule called cyclic AMP was what allowed cells to retain memory over the long term.
—
Michael Greenberg, New York Review of Books, 4 Dec. 2008
Writer Susan Sontag died December 28 at age 71 after a long battle with cancer. She left behind an impressive body of fiction and criticism, including her seminal 1960s essays "Notes on Camp" and "Against Interpretation."
—Allan Gurganus, Advocate, 1 Feb. 2005
I wonder if the curators who organized "Matisse Picasso" ever asked themselves why it was that Alfred H. Barr Jr., the first director of the Museum of Modern Art and the guiding spirit behind the museum's seminal exhibitions of both Picasso and Matisse, never mounted a show like the one that has now arrived at MoMA QNS. Such an exhibition might seem to be logical, almost inevitable for the Museum of Modern Art.
—Jed Perl, New Republic, 3 Mar. 2003
Michael Greenberg, New York Review of Books, 4 Dec. 2008
Writer Susan Sontag died December 28 at age 71 after a long battle with cancer. She left behind an impressive body of fiction and criticism, including her seminal 1960s essays "Notes on Camp" and "Against Interpretation."
—Allan Gurganus, Advocate, 1 Feb. 2005
I wonder if the curators who organized "Matisse Picasso" ever asked themselves why it was that Alfred H. Barr Jr., the first director of the Museum of Modern Art and the guiding spirit behind the museum's seminal exhibitions of both Picasso and Matisse, never mounted a show like the one that has now arrived at MoMA QNS. Such an exhibition might seem to be logical, almost inevitable for the Museum of Modern Art.
—Jed Perl, New Republic, 3 Mar. 2003
Recent Examples on the Web
The seminal haunt celebrates its silver anniversary throughout the weekend of April 11-13 with a Cooperstown-like lineup of Loose Engines, Island of Black and White, Hayez, Mercy Me, Mind X, Elvis Cantu, Peter Petty, Stacie Eakes, Red’s Blues, Element Brass Band, Jimmy Pailer & Lew Fratis and more.
—Aaron Davis, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2025
During CinemaCon on Saturday, Tron: Ares debuted the poster and first trailer for the upcoming installment, which premieres October 10 in U.S. theaters, following the seminal Disney sci-fi classic Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010).
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 5 Apr. 2025
The first album in the set is the 18-track LA Garage Sessions ’83, recorded between his two seminal albums Nebraska and Born in the U.S.A.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
Sure, that scene between Robert De Niro and Al Pacino takes up a lot of space when talking about Michael Mann's seminal crime drama.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for seminal
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Aaron Davis, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2025
During CinemaCon on Saturday, Tron: Ares debuted the poster and first trailer for the upcoming installment, which premieres October 10 in U.S. theaters, following the seminal Disney sci-fi classic Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010).
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 5 Apr. 2025
The first album in the set is the 18-track LA Garage Sessions ’83, recorded between his two seminal albums Nebraska and Born in the U.S.A.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
Sure, that scene between Robert De Niro and Al Pacino takes up a lot of space when talking about Michael Mann's seminal crime drama.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for seminal
Cite this Entry
“Seminal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seminal. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
seminal
adjective
sem·i·nal
ˈsem-ən-ᵊl
: of, relating to, or consisting of seed or semen
seminal discharge
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