pivotal event
History-altering moment
A pivotal event is a moment or occurrence that fundamentally changes the course of something—a life, a war, a relationship, a career.
The metaphor comes from pivot: the event is the point on which everything turns.
The assassination was a pivotal event in the lead-up to war.
Meeting her was a pivotal event in my life.
- turning pointDecisive moment of change
- inflection pointWhere curvature changes sign
- milestoneNotable event marking progress
- watershedDrainage area boundary
- sea changeRadical, thorough transformation
breakthrough · catalyst · crossroads · fork in the road · defining moment · moment of truth · crisis · critical juncture · climax · make or break · tipping point · point of no return · hinge · flashpoint · game-changer · revelation · wake-up call · awakening
- turning pointsturning point, defining moment, pivotal moment, crossroads, tipping point
- time termsdate, time, start date, datetime, end date
pivotal eventnon-event
Disappointing lack of significance
blip · trifle · footnote · minor detail · small potatoes
pivotal eventnon-event
Disappointing lack of significance
status quo · business as usual · dead end · false start · anticlimax
pivot, pivots, pivoted, pivoting, pivotally, event, events, eventful, eventfully