era-defining
Sets the standard
Era-defining describes something so significant it characterizes an entire period: an era-defining album, an era-defining moment in civil rights history.
The term implies lasting cultural or historical impact—not just popular or successful, but fundamentally shaping how a time is remembered and understood.
Marking a historic division
- watershedDrainage area boundary
- landmarkNotable point of reference
- pivotalVitally important, deciding
- seminalFoundational and influential
iconic · definitive · epoch-making · monumental · once-in-a-lifetime · unforgettable · legendary · momentous
First to explore territory
- trailblazingBeing the first through
- groundbreakingIntroducing radical new ideas
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
- visionaryImaginative planner of futures
trendsetting · game-changing · disruptive · innovative · catalytic · formative · shaping · transformative
Period of renewed vitality
- enlightenmentProfound spiritual awakening
- victorianOf 19th-century Britain
- space-ageTechnologically advanced, futuristically styled
- post-warAfter military conflict ends
epochal
Marking a historic division
seminal · iconic · definitive · epoch-making · monumental · once-in-a-lifetime · unforgettable · legendary · momentous · milestone
pioneering
First to explore territory
- trailblazingBeing the first through
- groundbreakingIntroducing radical new ideas
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
visionary · trendsetting · game-changing · disruptive · innovative · catalytic · formative · shaping · transformative · precedent-setting
renaissance
Period of renewed vitality
- enlightenmentProfound spiritual awakening
- victorianOf 19th-century Britain
- space-ageTechnologically advanced, futuristically styled
era-definingforgettable
Unlikely to be recalled
insignificant · inconsequential · unremarkable · trivial · negligible
era-definingfleeting
Passing very quickly
ephemeral · passing · momentary · transient · short-lived
era-definingderivative
Function's rate of change
imitative · unoriginal · cookie-cutter · formulaic · conventional
define, defining, defined, defines, redefine, redefined, redefines, redefining, redefinition