meaning

[mee-ning]

noun

1. what is intended to be, or actually is, expressed or indicated; signification; import.

   the three meanings of a word.

   Synonyms: trend, drift, gist, tenor

2. the end, purpose, or significance of something.

   What is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of this intrusion?

3. Linguistics.

   1. the nonlinguistic cultural correlate, reference, or denotation of a linguistic form; expression.

   2. linguistic content (expression ).

adjective

1. intentioned (usually used in combination).

   She's a well-meaning person.

2. full of significance; expressive.

   a meaning look.

meaning

/ ˈmiːnɪŋ /

noun

1. the sense or significance of a word, sentence, symbol, etc; import; semantic or lexical content

2. the purpose underlying or intended by speech, action, etc

3. the inner, symbolic, or true interpretation, value, or message

   the meaning of a dream

4. valid content; efficacy

   a law with little or no meaning

5. philosophy

   1. the sense of an expression; its connotation

   2. the reference of an expression; its denotation. In recent philosophical writings meaning can be used in both the above senses See also sense

adjective

1. expressive of some sense, intention, criticism, etc

   a meaning look

Other Word Forms

• meaningly adverb
• meaningness noun
• submeaning noun
• undermeaning noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of meaning¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (noun); mean ¹, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Synonym Study

Meaning, purport, sense, significance denote that which is expressed or indicated by something. Meaning is the general word denoting that which is intended to be or actually is expressed or indicated: the meaning of a word or glance. Sense may be used to denote a particular meaning (among others) of a word or phrase: The word is frequently used in this sense. Sense may also be used loosely to refer to intelligible meaning: There's no sense in what he says. Significance refers particularly to a meaning that is implied rather than expressed: the significance of her glance; or to a meaning the importance of which may not be easy to perceive immediately: The real significance of his words was not grasped at the time. Purport is mainly limited to the meaning of a formal document, speech, important conversation, etc., and refers to the gist of something fairly complicated: the purport of your letter to the editor.

Example Sentences

In France, "only a government agency can neutralise a drone," said the security source, meaning that a private company would not be allowed to disable a drone by jamming it.

Read more on Barron's

"I was searching for meaning and spirituality in life, and I saw all of that in that path," he says.

Read more on BBC

Many of the men’s crimes happened long ago, meaning that evidence might be lost and witnesses unavailable.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Economists and other experts have long repeated the conventional wisdom that the stock market isn’t the economy, meaning that temporary pullbacks on Wall Street don’t always ripple as far as the average American’s pocketbook.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The name "chikungunya" comes from the Kimakonde language, meaning "that which bends up," a reference to the stooped posture caused by the severe joint pain that often accompanies the infection.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• connotation 
• content 
• context 
• definition 
• effect 
• essence 
• explanation 
• hint 
• implication 
• interpretation 
• nuance 
• sense 
• significance 
• spirit 
• subject 
• substance 
• understanding 
• value