"epochal" meaning in English

See epochal in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

IPA: [ˈɛ.pək.əl], [ˈiː.pɒk.əl] Forms: more epochal [comparative], most epochal [superlative]
Etymology: From epoch + -al. Etymology templates: {{ety|en|:af|epoch|-al|text=+|tree=1}} From epoch + -al. Head templates: {{en-adj}} epochal (comparative more epochal, superlative most epochal)
  1. Of or pertaining to an epoch. Translations (of or pertaining to an epoch): epocale [neuter] (Italian), epokowy [masculine] (Polish), epocal [masculine] (Romanian)
    Sense id: en-epochal-en-adj-jYRFL3wd Categories (other): English terms suffixed with -al Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -al: 49 51 Disambiguation of 'of or pertaining to an epoch': 90 10
  2. (figurative) Highly important or significant; monumental, epoch-making. Tags: figuratively Translations (highly important): epochal (German), epokowy [masculine] (Polish), przełomowy [masculine] (Polish), epocal [masculine] (Romanian)
    Sense id: en-epochal-en-adj-wfyHnv4S Categories (other): English entries referencing ambiguous etymons, English entries referencing missing etymons, English entries with etymology texts, English entries with etymon, English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -al, Entries with translation boxes, Pages using etymon with no ID, Pages with 2 entries, Pages with entries, Pages with etymon, Terms with German translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Romanian translations Disambiguation of English entries referencing ambiguous etymons: 27 73 Disambiguation of English entries referencing missing etymons: 28 72 Disambiguation of English entries with etymology texts: 26 74 Disambiguation of English entries with etymon: 25 75 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 28 72 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -al: 49 51 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 13 87 Disambiguation of Pages using etymon with no ID: 20 80 Disambiguation of Pages with 2 entries: 17 83 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 11 89 Disambiguation of Pages with etymon: 16 84 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 18 82 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 14 86 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 24 76 Disambiguation of Terms with Romanian translations: 33 67 Disambiguation of 'highly important': 0 100
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: epochality, epochally, nonepochal
{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "epochality"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "epochally"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "nonepochal"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_links": [
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      "epoch",
      "epoch#English"
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      "name": "ety"
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  ],
  "etymology_text": "From epoch + -al.",
  "forms": [
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      "form": "more epochal",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
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    },
    {
      "form": "most epochal",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
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  ],
  "head_templates": [
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      "name": "en-adj"
    }
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "49 51",
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of or pertaining to an epoch."
      ],
      "id": "en-epochal-en-adj-jYRFL3wd",
      "links": [
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          "epoch",
          "epoch"
        ]
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      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "lang_code": "it",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to an epoch",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "epocale"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to an epoch",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "epokowy"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "90 10",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "lang_code": "ro",
          "sense": "of or pertaining to an epoch",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "epocal"
        }
      ]
    },
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        {
          "_dis": "20 80",
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        {
          "_dis": "17 83",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 2 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 89",
          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "_dis": "16 84",
          "kind": "other",
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          "_dis": "18 82",
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        {
          "_dis": "14 86",
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          "_dis": "24 76",
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        {
          "_dis": "33 67",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
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          "bold_text_offsets": [
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              24,
              31
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          ],
          "ref": "1954 May, John W. Grant, “A Railway Requiem”, in Railway Magazine, page 351:",
          "text": "But they were the great epochal design; their influence on locomotive development is felt to this day and their niche in railway history is secure.",
          "type": "quotation"
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          "ref": "2010, Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Emperor of All Maladies, Fourth Estate (2011), page 250:",
          "text": "It had been an epochal decade for cancer epidemiology, but equally, an epochal decade for tobacco.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Highly important or significant; monumental, epoch-making."
      ],
      "id": "en-epochal-en-adj-wfyHnv4S",
      "links": [
        [
          "important",
          "important"
        ],
        [
          "significant",
          "significant"
        ],
        [
          "monumental",
          "monumental"
        ],
        [
          "epoch-making",
          "epoch-making"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) Highly important or significant; monumental, epoch-making."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "lang_code": "de",
          "sense": "highly important",
          "word": "epochal"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "highly important",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "epokowy"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "highly important",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "przełomowy"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "lang_code": "ro",
          "sense": "highly important",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "epocal"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "[ˈɛ.pək.əl]"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[ˈiː.pɒk.əl]"
    }
  ],
  "word": "epochal"
}
{
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    "English entries referencing ambiguous etymons",
    "English entries referencing missing etymons",
    "English entries with etymology texts",
    "English entries with etymon",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms suffixed with -al",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages using etymon with no ID",
    "Pages with 2 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Pages with etymon",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Romanian translations"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "epochality"
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    {
      "word": "epochally"
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      "word": "nonepochal"
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  ],
  "etymology_text": "From epoch + -al.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more epochal",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
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    },
    {
      "form": "most epochal",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Of or pertaining to an epoch."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "epoch",
          "epoch"
        ]
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    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
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          "ref": "1954 May, John W. Grant, “A Railway Requiem”, in Railway Magazine, page 351:",
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          "ref": "2010, Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Emperor of All Maladies, Fourth Estate (2011), page 250:",
          "text": "It had been an epochal decade for cancer epidemiology, but equally, an epochal decade for tobacco.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Highly important or significant; monumental, epoch-making."
      ],
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          "important",
          "important"
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          "significant",
          "significant"
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          "monumental"
        ],
        [
          "epoch-making",
          "epoch-making"
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      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) Highly important or significant; monumental, epoch-making."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
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  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "[ˈɛ.pək.əl]"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[ˈiː.pɒk.əl]"
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "lang_code": "it",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to an epoch",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "epocale"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to an epoch",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "epokowy"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "lang_code": "ro",
      "sense": "of or pertaining to an epoch",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "epocal"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "highly important",
      "word": "epochal"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "highly important",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "epokowy"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "highly important",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "przełomowy"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "lang_code": "ro",
      "sense": "highly important",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
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      "word": "epocal"
    }
  ],
  "word": "epochal"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-28 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (1a05e46 and e3d6d4e). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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