Seminal    (pronounced sem-uh-nl) adjective


Definition

1. of, or containing seed or semen.   2. highly creative or original; having the power of originating.   3. a seed or source for future events; inducing or causing further development.

Main Example

  • Did you know that more people watch the Super Bowl for the striking ads than for the game itself? America's most-watched sports event has evolved into a mecca for imaginative advertising, thanks to Apple's seminal ad "Why 1984 won't be like 1984." That commercial, aired during the 1984 Super Bowl and which never even showed a product, raised the bar for advertisers seeking viewer attention.

    Workplace Examples

  • Well, now that Pat has agreed to join our team, I am confident we'll always stay ahead of the curve. If there is anyone here who can be counted on to come up with some really seminal ideas, it's Pat.

  • Oh yes, one more thing about Sophie: A few years ago, she conducted a marketing study which was fantastic . . . nothing short of seminal! We've come out with several new products as a result of that work.

    Other Examples

  • until recently, Pfizer far outpacing its rivals in combating male impotence, thanks to some seminal research in its labs

  • the seminally written "Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith which continues to inspire economists more than 200 years after it was first published

  • the seminal film director Elia Kazan whose classics, including "On the Waterfront" and "Gentleman's Agreement," were groundbreaking because they took on social issues such as labor union corruption and anti-Semitism which, until then, had been taboo in Hollywood

  • the seminal event that Sept. 11 was: more than two years later, many of the daily news headlines still carry the long shadow of that tragic day

    © 2004 V.J. Singal

    This Month's Other Words

    Funereal
    Voluble
    Perfidious
    Disquiet
    Incurious
    Seminal
    Prognosticate
    Denigrate

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