milestone
MYL-stohn
/ˈmaɪlstəʊn/
A significant stage, achievement, or event marking progress in growth or a project.
Implies a distinct, measurable checkpoint along a long journey.
The story behind the word. Literally a stone set beside a road to mark distance in miles from a central city. By the 19th century, writers borrowed the physical post to symbolize key events in human growth and biography.
Word relationships
- benchmark: Benchmark is a standard for comparison, whereas milestone is an event marking progress.
- turning point: A turning point alters direction, while a milestone simply marks distance along a trajectory.
- setback: A setback represents movement away from a goal rather than progress forward.
Commonly confused with
- tombstone: A tombstone marks an end, whereas a milestone marks progress on an ongoing journey.
Word family
- milestones (noun): Plural form marking multiple sequential achievements.
Collocations
- reach a milestone
- major milestone
- developmental milestone
- key milestone
Idioms & expressions
- mark a milestone
Example sentences
- "Taking one's first unassisted steps is a major physical milestone in early childhood." Child development milestone tracking
Memory hook
A stone on the road showing how many MILES you've traveled toward your goal. A stone post on the road of life.
When not to use
Do not use for routine daily activities that lack strategic importance.
Fun facts
- Roman roads used actual cylindrical milestones called 'milliaria' placed every 1,000 paces.
Related words
Explore more words
timeline, landmark, watershed, breakthrough, incremental, make progress
Also appears in
- Leadership → Strategic Planning
- Business → Workplace Productivity
- Business → Project Management
- Business → Performance Evaluation
- Psychology → Developmental Stages & Maturation
- Health Sciences → Pediatrics & Child Health
- Psychology → Child & Adolescent Development
- Home & Domestic Life → Parenting & Childcare
- Occasions, Holidays & Parties → Birthdays & Aging
- Romance, Dating & Marriage → Honeymoons & Anniversaries
- Occasions, Holidays & Parties → Baby Showers & Gender Reveals
- Occasions, Holidays & Parties → Retirement Celebrations
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