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Groundbreaking vs Breakthrough - What's the difference?

groundbreaking | breakthrough |

As adjectives the difference between groundbreaking and breakthrough

is that groundbreaking is innovative; new, different; doing something that has never been done before while breakthrough is characterized by major progress or overcoming some obstacle.

As nouns the difference between groundbreaking and breakthrough

is that groundbreaking is a ceremony to mark the beginning of construction while breakthrough is an advance through and past enemy lines.

groundbreaking

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Innovative; new, different; doing something that has never been done before.
    • The latest model includes several groundbreaking features and improvements.

    See also

    * break ground * cutting edge

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A ceremony to mark the beginning of construction.
  • The point at which construction begins.

    • breakthrough

    English

    Alternative forms

    * breakthru

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Characterized by major progress or overcoming some obstacle.
    • a breakthrough technological advance

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (military) An advance through and past enemy lines.
  • Any major progress; such as a great innovation or discovery that overcomes a significant obstacle.
    • .
  • (sports) The penetration of the opposition defence
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=September 29 , author=Jon Smith , title=Tottenham 3 - 1 Shamrock Rovers , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=But with the lively Dos Santos pulling the strings behind strikers Pavlyuchenko and Defoe, Spurs controlled the first half without finding the breakthrough their dominance deserved.}}

    Derived terms

    * breakthrough pain