Word
breakthrough
Phoneticsbreak·through
US/ˈbɹeɪkˌθɹu/
UK/bɹˈeɪkθɹuː/
Definitions
01major discovery
n. a sudden and important discovery or success, especially in science or medicine.
n. a significant and often sudden advance or discovery that overcomes a major obstacle or impasse.
“Scientists have made a major breakthrough in the treatment of the disease.”
“The research team announced a significant breakthrough in battery technology, potentially doubling the range of electric vehicles within the next decade.”
Synonyms
02military/sports penetration
n. the act of breaking through a line of defense, like in a war or a game.
n. the act of penetrating an opponent's defensive line or fortifications.
“The army achieved a breakthrough after weeks of fighting at the border.”
“The striker's sudden breakthrough in the final minutes of the match caught the defenders completely off guard.”
Formal
Synonyms
Antonyms
03highly successful
adj. describing a success that makes someone famous or shows great progress.
adj. characterised by major progress or marking a significant transition to a higher level of success or recognition.
“The young actress had her breakthrough role in a popular TV drama.”
“Following several years of modest sales, the band finally achieved breakthrough success with their third studio album.”
Synonyms
04medical infection after vaccine
adj. describing an illness that someone catches even though they were vaccinated against it.
adj. relating to the contraction of a disease by an individual who has been vaccinated or has existing immunity.
“The doctor explained that breakthrough infections are usually very mild.”
“Public health officials monitored the rate of breakthrough cases to determine if the vaccine's efficacy was waning over time.”
Technical
Usage
Usually modifies 'infection' or 'case'.
Real-World Examples
“Her breakthrough role came in 2001 when she was cast as Dawn, the sympathetic and witty receptionist in Gervais and Stephen Merchant's Bafta-winning office-based sitcom.” “The international team made the breakthrough after focusing their attention on a mysterious red spot in images of the early universe captured by Nasa’s James Webb space telescope.” “It was a major breakthrough, said Mathulwe, because while there are chemical treatments for dealing with the caterpillars in the early stages of life, nothing has proven effective against mature populations.” “The breakthrough could reduce structural material costs by roughly 40 times and make seawater-based hydrogen production far more economical.” Etymology
From break + through. Compare German Durchbruch and Dutch doorbraak (“breakthrough”, literally “through-break”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/breakthrough