Defining example sentences

"Defining" Example Sentences

That one conversation was defining for how she saw herself after that.
He spent years defining what success actually meant to him, not what others expected.
The defining moment came when nobody was watching — just her alone in the kitchen.
She kept defining and redefining her goals every time life threw something new at her.
What's defining about this generation is how connected and how lonely they feel at the same time.
I hate when people spend all their energy defining other people instead of looking at themselves.
The defining characteristic of his leadership was that he actually listened.
They're still defining the rules as they go — nobody really knows what's allowed anymore.
Defining your boundaries early saves you so much pain later, trust me.
That album was defining for an entire decade of music.
He kept defining himself by his job until he lost it.
The defining difference between them was how they handled failure.
She found herself constantly defining and defending her choices to people who didn't matter.
Defining success differently changed everything about how she approached her career.
The media kept defining her by one mistake from ten years ago.
What's defining about their relationship is how they actually talk to each other.
I'm tired of defining myself by what I'm not.
The defining factor was timing — pure luck, really.
He was defining his identity for the first time without his parents' voice in his head.
Defining the problem is half the battle, my therapist keeps saying.
The defining moment of the election was nobody expected.
She stopped defining her worth by her appearance and everything shifted.
Defining love is impossible, but you know it when you feel it.
The defining quality of a good friend is someone who stays when things get hard.
He spent the whole meeting defining terms instead of actually solving anything.
That loss was defining — it broke something in him that never fully healed.
Defining the scope of the project took longer than actually doing it.
The defining feature of the new policy is how it completely misses the point.
She kept defining her future based on her past, and it was holding her back.
Defining what we want is harder than we think.

Common Phrases

defining moment
defining characteristic
defining feature
defining quality
defining difference
defining factor
defining line
defining aspect
defining mark
defining boundary

Examples by Level

That moment was defining for her whole life.
He is defining what the word means to the class.

The defining moment came when she finally said no to him.
They spent the meeting defining the rules for everyone.

Looking back, that conversation was defining — it changed how I saw myself completely.
She kept defining and redefining her goals every time something unexpected happened.

The defining characteristic of their friendship was how they could sit in silence without it feeling awkward.
He realized he'd spent years defining himself by other people's expectations rather than his own.

What's defining about this generation is the peculiar tension between unprecedented connectivity and profound isolation.
She'd been unconsciously defining her entire identity through the lens of a single failure, until therapy made her see it.

There's something almost tragic about watching someone spend their life defining themselves against the very thing they're trying to escape.
The defining irony of his success was that achieving everything he'd worked toward left him emptier than before.

Examples by Scenario

🏠 Everyday Life

My kid asked me what defining a word means, and I realized I couldn't explain it simply.
The defining moment of my week was when my neighbor finally apologized for the noise.

💼 Workplace

We spent three hours in a meeting defining what 'collaboration' actually means to this team.
The defining issue with the new system is that nobody bothered asking the people who actually use it.

📊 Business

The defining factor in our market share loss was the competitor's aggressive pricing strategy.
We're currently defining our brand identity for the next five years — it's more complicated than it sounds.

🛒 Buying / Shopping

I've been defining what I actually need versus what I just want, and it's harder than expected.
The defining difference between these two products is the warranty, honestly.

✈️ Travel

Traveling solo was defining for me — I learned I was braver than I thought.
The defining moment of the trip was getting completely lost in that small town.

📚 Education

The teacher spent the whole lesson defining key terms instead of actually teaching the material.
That one professor was defining for my entire academic path — she believed in me when I didn't.

❤️ Relationships

The defining moment in our relationship was when he stayed through the worst of it.
We finally had a conversation about defining what we actually wanted from each other.

📰 News / Politics

The defining issue of the election was healthcare, according to most exit polls.
Analysts are still defining what the new legislation actually means for small businesses.

💻 Technology

The defining feature of this new app is how it actually respects your privacy.
They're defining artificial intelligence so broadly now that it barely means anything anymore.

📝 Formal Writing

The study focuses on defining the relationship between socioeconomic status and educational outcomes.
This report is concerned with defining the parameters of acceptable risk in the financial sector.