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moment

moment

231 7.2
Great importance that affects people or events
  • noun
  • /ˈmoʊmənt/
  • Formal
: importancia
  • What was the happiest moment of your life so far?
  • a historical moment
  • a climactic moment
  • a moment in history

And you know, these are moments you just can't forget.

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Examples

  • The Conner clan has been waiting for this moment for 18 years.

  • The convocation of the next synodal assembly comes at a particularly significant moment for the Catholic Church.

    Academic text (2013)
  • I knew I liked you the moment I met you.

  • Maybe it's a teaching moment.

  • This is the big moment.

  • This is my finest moment in life.

  • But I was getting to that formative moment in the writer's life.

    Academic text (2013)
  • OK, here's the moment we've all been waiting for.

  • The importance of this moment, according to Pedro Sottile, the CHA's legal coordinator, is twofold.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The signing of the treaty was a moment of great importance for international relations.

Synonyms

big deal
vsmoment
912 2.1

An important thing or event that affects people

is the neutral, formal expression for importance or consequence
importance
vsmoment
597 1.0

A quality that makes something have great value or effect

expresses the same quality but with broader consequence focus
significance
vsmoment
232 3.8

How important something is or how much it matters

leans more toward overall influence rather than special or hidden meaning
consequence
vsmoment
32 4.2

How important something is because of its effect

covers importance as a quality, not only its effects
import
vsmoment
  • Formal
21 6.8

The meaning or importance of something

is broader, covering general importance beyond implied meaning
pivotal point
vsmoment
3 4.9

A moment when an important change happens or people make a key decision

refers to the quality of being important rather than a specific time
momentousness
vsmoment
  • Formal
1 7.9

Being very important and likely to have big effects

is the same idea but is the more general everyday term

Antonyms

A state of not being important or having little effect

6 5.4

A small detail that does not matter

Idioms

164 3.4

For a short time that is not meant to last

79 2.1

Something can happen very soon and without warning

22 5.5

A sudden decision made without thinking

14 6.1

When you feel strong feelings and act without thinking

To act suddenly without planning or thinking

by the moment
  • Informal
4 7.6

Changing quickly as time passes

Compounds

37 3.5

A short time when people stay quiet to honor or remember someone

A very important time when someone must show skill or courage

20 4.9

A short time when people feel strong emotion and say or do things without thinking

The time that is happening now

A short time when people feel uncomfortable or embarrassed

11 4.3

A special time you remember that makes you feel very happy

A special time you care about and want to remember

9 1.0

A short time when something makes people laugh

A short time when someone gets attention or success

7 4.1

A sudden moment when you clearly understand something after confusion

A short time when you feel very happy

An event that causes a very important change in a person's life or history

6 5.8

Happening suddenly without planning, often as a quick decision

5 3.5

A short time of warm feelings you remember

senior moment
  • Informal
4 7.7

A short time when an older person forgets something or becomes confused

2 8.9

A time when someone faces a hard truth and decides to change what they do

moment of inertia
  • Specialized
1 7.8

A number showing how hard it is to change an object's spin based on how its mass is spread

1 3.9

A sudden time when you understand something clearly

A very special time that you cannot buy with money

do-or-die moment
  • Informal
1 6.0

A time when someone must succeed or they will fail under great pressure

dipole moment
  • Specialized
1 8.1

A measure of how far positive and negative charges are separated in a molecule

magnetic moment
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A measure of how strongly something turns near a magnet and which way it points

1 5.9

A short pleasant feeling that makes you feel warm and happy

The best time to do something to get the result you want

A perfect moment that looks like a photo

A dramatic, memorable event that feels like a scene from a movie

A short time when people feel cheerful and laugh

blonde moment
  • Offensive
1 8.9

A short time when someone forgets something or acts silly

1 8.4

A number that shows how strongly and which way something acts like a tiny magnet

first moment
  • Specialized
1 7.2

The average of a set of numbers that you get by adding them and dividing by how many there are

madeleine moment
  • Literature
1 9.6

A sudden memory from a smell or sound that makes you feel as if you are back in the past

1 5.1

A time before buying when people search for information about a product

A number that shows how strong and in which direction a straight link between two things is

A number from -1 to 1 that shows the strength and direction of a straight-line connection between two things

1 6.3

A scale that shows how much energy an earthquake releases

1 7.7

Amount that shows how far positive and negative electric charges are separated, equal to charge size times distance

An event that is so special people remember it for a long time

second moment
  • Specialized
1 9.7

The average of the squares of numbers that shows how spread out they are

9.9

A short time when someone does something silly or foolish

9.9

A very fun time that a group of friends enjoy, often when men are together

bruh moment
  • Slang
9.9

A brief awkward or funny moment that leaves you surprised and unable to believe it

404 moment
  • Slang
9.9

A short moment when you suddenly cannot remember or find something

9.9

A cute moment that makes people smile

A scene added to a show to please fans by showing something attractive or exciting

lamebrain moment
  • Offensive
9.6

A short time when someone does something silly or forgetful

9.8

A short time when someone acts very silly and makes people laugh

meatbrain moment
  • Offensive
9.9

A short time when you forget something and feel confused

Mintie moment
  • Informal
9.9

A happy moment you remember with a warm, sweet feeling

9.9

A short time when someone acts silly

moment of a couple
  • Specialized
8.6

A turning effect that two equal opposite forces make when they are apart

moment of a magnet
  • Specialized
9.2

A measure of how strongly and in what direction a magnet turns in a magnetic field

9.9

A short time when a person is very confused and not thinking clearly

muff moment
  • Informal
9.9

A short embarrassing mistake you make

heartsink moment
  • Informal
9.8

A sudden strong feeling of disappointment or fear

high doh moment
  • Informal
9.9

A time when you make a silly, obvious mistake

hyp moment
  • Slang
9.9

A very exciting moment that makes people cheer

Ratner moment
  • Literature
9.9

An embarrassing public remark that causes bad publicity for a person or company

Podsnap moment
  • Literature
9.9

A moment when someone feels very pleased with themselves and ignores other views

A scene in a film or book that feels too sweet

9.2

A long awkward silence after something embarrassing

8.4

An event that makes you feel embarrassed or uncomfortable

How Important

momentousness
  • Formal
1 7.9
moment
  • Formal
231 7.2
importance
597 1.0
triviality
6 5.4

Surface Forms

moment singular
moments plural

Etymology

The word moment also comes from Latin momentum, which could mean 'importance' as well as 'movement', because something that moves people or events has weight. That's why a decision of great moment is a decision of great importance.