breaking new ground
Doing something unprecedented
Breaking new ground means doing something innovative or unprecedented—venturing into territory no one has explored before.
The phrase comes from agriculture, where breaking ground means digging into previously unworked soil.
Now it applies to any pioneering effort: Her research is breaking new ground in cancer treatment.
The adjective form is groundbreaking.
- originativeCapable of producing newness
- ingeniousCleverly original in design
- thinking outside the boxUnconventional creative reasoning
- developCause gradual growth
- inventCreate something new
boundary-pushing · innovative · create · avant-garde · pioneering · trailblazing · paving the way · paradigm shift · pathfinding · uncharted territory · virgin territory · breakthrough · groundbreaking · fresh start · blue-sky thinking · disruption · bold move · novelty
- progressprogress, in progress, promotion, raise, making progress
- innovationinnovation, invention, innovative, innovate, breakthrough
breaking new groundderivative
Function's rate of change
conventional · unoriginal · imitative · copying · formulaic
breaking new groundstagnating
Ceasing to develop
standing still · regressing · spinning wheels · stuck in a rut · treading water
break, breaking, breaks, broken, breakage, breaker, breakers, unbroken, outbreak