breakthrough
BRAKE-throo
/ˈbreɪk.θruː/
A dramatic, significant discovery, development, or achievement that overcomes a major obstacle.
Implies punching through a long-standing barrier of knowledge or technical impossibility.
The story behind the word. A 20th-century compound word originating in military strategy (breaking through enemy defensive lines). By the mid-1930s, it was adopted across science and medicine to describe overcoming major intellectual obstacles.
Word relationships
- advance: Advance implies steady step-by-step progress, whereas breakthrough implies a sudden, decisive jump forward.
- discovery: Discovery refers to finding something unknown, while breakthrough stresses overcoming a specific barrier.
- setback: A setback is an event that delays progress or causes a reversal.
- stalemate: A stalemate is a deadlock where no progress can be made.
Commonly confused with
- breakout: Breakout usually refers to an escape or sudden surge in popularity/epidemic, whereas breakthrough refers to a key discovery or achievement.
Word family
- break through (phrasal verb): To pass through a barrier successfully
Collocations
- major breakthrough
- scientific breakthrough
- technological breakthrough
- achieve a breakthrough
Example sentences
- "The discovery of the structure of DNA was a monumental scientific breakthrough of the twentieth century." Scientific discovery
- "Penicillin marked a medical breakthrough that transformed the treatment of infectious diseases." Medical history
Memory hook
You BREAK THROUGH a brick wall of difficulty. Barrier smashed.
When not to use
Do not use for minor routine updates or incremental improvements.
Fun facts
- The term was popularized in scientific media during the 1950s after the development of the polio vaccine was hailed as a breakthrough.
Explore more words
break through, insightful, epiphany, discovery, pioneer, disruptive
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