watershed
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
An important turning point after which things change.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
wawtershedSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈwɔtɚʃɛd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
An event marking a unique or important historical change of course or one on which important developments depend
“The agreement was a watershed in the history of both nations.”
figurative
A critical point marking a change in course or development.
A ridge of land that separates two adjacent river systems
hydrologyUSCanada
A region of land within which water flows down into a specified body, such as a river, lake, sea, or ocean; a drainage basin.
adjective
Serving to mark a significant development, change in direction, etc.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: An event marking a unique or important historical change of course or one on which important developments depend
Used this way, watershed is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in historical writing contexts.
“The agreement was a watershed in the history of both nations.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Formal and precise
Where it naturally appears
- Historical writing
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “watershed in …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: watershed in …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use watershed
- “The agreement was a watershed in the history of both nations.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Region / ridge
Event / critical
Time
Other combinations
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: event marking a unique
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.