What is the origin, and meaning, of the phrase "watershed moment"?

Question

I wanted to use this in a phrase earlier but didn't want to use it inappropriately, sounding stupid. I think it means a moment which changes everything and causes a major upheaval but I want to double-check. Thanks!

In case you were curious... I quit my secure Government job to move to Los Angeles for grad school, and permanently broke things off with my ex-fiancee, all on July 5th. It was a real watershed moment. :-)

Answer 1

A critical point that marks a division or a change of course; a turning point: "a watershed in modern American history, a time that... forever changed American social attitudes" (Robert Reinhold).

Used as a metaphor since the late 19th century, this sense of "watershed" has meant a dividing line, often a moment in time marking a momentous transition, as the Reagan presidency might be said, for better or worse, to have marked a "watershed" in American politics. This figurative use of "watershed" to mean "epochal moment" is widely heard in Great Britain.

In the U.S., however, there is a slightly different use of "watershed" in a technical sense to mean "the drainage area (often mountain forests) feeding a river or other water system." This has led to the metaphorical use of "watershed" in America to mean "an experience or event which produces profound effects later on," much as heavy rains in the mountains may lead to floods later on in the valley below. In this sense, growing up in suburbia might be said to have been a "watershed experience" for many modern American writers.

Answer 2

In geography, "watershed" is used to describe the highest point or ridge dividing two valleys where rain falling on one side of the watershed will end up in one valley and rain falling on the other side will flow down into the other valley.
In some instances rain drops falling only a few inches apart could end up in entirely separate river systems which may flow into separate oceans perhaps thousands of miles apart.

So to describe something as a "watershed moment" is to say that such a moment is the "decision point", the "point of no return", the "moment when the path forward is fixed". It implies that a crucial choice is to be made between two or more options and that once made the choice cannot be reversed or reconsidered.

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What is the origin, and meaning, of the phrase "watershed moment"?
I wanted to use this in a phrase earlier but didn't want to use it inappropriately, sounding stupid. I think it means a moment which changes everything and causes a major upheaval but I want to double-check. Thanks!

Answer 4

Also referred to at times as an "inflection point"

Answer 5

"A critical point that marks a division or a change of course; a turning point: “a watershed in modern American history, a time that... forever changed American social attitudes” (Robert Reinhold)."

Answer 6

When presented with challenging situations we are allowed a moment during which we perceive either an obstacle or an opportunity....so yup...i would say you're on the right track

Answer 7

Yes, the crucial moment when something will have to go one way or another.

Answer 8

This is probably a wrong answer and I don't know the origin, but to me it's a moment when you have an uncontrollable need to cry. I don't think it means you need to have a major upheaval in your life, but I'm probably wrong.