Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PIVOTAL
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pronounce
PIVOTAL:
Say it "PIV uh dull."
To hear it, click here.
Or, if you like to sound more precise: "PIV uh tull."
connect this word to others:
As we check out the word pivotal, see if you can recall a word very similar to pivot:
Literally speaking, a li___p_n is a pin or peg that keeps a wheel attached to its axle. And figuratively, it's a very important part of something.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
We took the word "pivot" from French, where it means "a hinge."
In English, a pivot is the pin in the center of a hinge.
And to pivot is to turn around on a central point. Here's Ross yelling at his friend to pivot as they heave a couch upstairs. Or, try to.
Figuratively, to pivot sometimes means to change directions, as if turning or swinging around on a central point: "She pivoted away from that topic." And other times, to pivot means to depend totally on something, as if it's the central point: "The story pivots on this character" or "The story pivots around this character."
And a pivot, figuratively speaking, is the most central, most important part of something.
And pivotal things are extremely important: so important that everything else hinges on them or depends on them. In other words, pivotal things get everything else to turn and go in the right direction.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "a pivotal moment;" "they were pivotal in getting this done."
Other forms:
Pivot(s);
pivoted, pivoting, pivoter(s);
pivotable, pivotability;
pivotally.
how to use it:
This word is common and formal.
Pick it when you need to describe how the importance of something is especially urgent ("These steps are pivotal if we hope to save this patient") or praiseworthy ("These choices were pivotal in the nation's quick response to the crisis") or substantial ("Without this pivotal scene, the movie would be worthless").
As those examples show, we often talk about pivotal steps, actions, choices, parts, and pieces. We can also talk about pivotal moments, details, and roles.
Often, we say that something is pivotal in accomplishing something. (Or, less often, that it's pivotal to accomplishing something.)
Although we don't often talk about pivotal people, we do say that people play pivotal roles, and that people are pivotal in accomplishing things. You might call someone a pivotal figure or character: "Elton John is a pivotal figure in the fight against AIDS." "Eliza is a pivotal character in Hamilton."
examples:
"High school graduation is a pivotal moment for any teenager."
— Annie Aguiar, Seattle Times, 3 June 2020
"NIH Director Francis Collins said... that the improved tests are desperately needed to deal with the global pandemic, at least until an effective vaccine is rolled out. 'These technologies will play a pivotal role in getting us back to normal,' Collins said."
— Robert F. Service, Science, 29 April 2020
has this page helped you understand "pivotal"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "pivotal" without saying "essential" or "crucial."
try it out:
A headline by Terry Tang in the Associated Press reads "Asian American girls saw pivotal icon in 'Baby-Sitters Club.'"
The article is about how real girls admired the character Claudia, seeing her not as the usual stereotype of a shy, overachieving Asian girl, but rather as an individual: someone who followed her passions and exuded coolness and confidence.
Notice how the word "pivotal" is especially fitting for this character. She helped teen and pre-teen girls pivot away from seeing themselves as stereotypes, toward seeing themselves as individuals.
With Claudia in mind as an example, talk about a real or fictional person who was pivotal for you as you were growing up: someone who nudged you in the right direction, especially at a very important moment or period of time.
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is "Faces & Feelings."
If the word you're studying were a facial expression, what would it look like? Maybe one of the seven universal facial expressions, the ones identified by the psychologist Paul Ekman.
In each issue, take a handful of words and assign each to an emotion it inspires. I'll list my answers at the bottom of each issue. Yours might be different from mine, which is okay--words, and emotions, are complex and personal! The goal here is just to interact with our words, to tie them more securely into memory by connecting them to emotion and to the face.
Try this set today. Match each face on the left to a term on the right:
neophilia
nihilism
nirvana
nocuous
nolens volens
nostrum
nugatory
review this word:
A. INSPIRED.
B. UNCERTAIN.
C. INCONSEQUENTIAL.
2. In A Duel, Richard Marsh writes, "She is the _____ feminine character--the pivotal character; the one _____."
A. leading .. about whom the whole thing turns
B. graceful .. whose manners remain impeccable
C. wicked .. for whom the reader silently, secretively roots
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
As we check out the word pivotal, see if you can recall a word very similar to pivot:
We took the word "pivot" from French, where it means "a hinge."
And to pivot is to turn around on a central point. Here's Ross yelling at his friend to pivot as they heave a couch upstairs. Or, try to.
Part of speech:
This word is common and formal.
"High school graduation is a pivotal moment for any teenager."
Explain the meaning of "pivotal" without saying "essential" or "crucial."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
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