meaningful
Americanadjective
adjective
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having great meaning or validity
-
eloquent, expressive
a meaningful silence
Usage
What are other ways to say meaningful? Something that is meaningful, such as a meaningful wink or meaningful choice, is full of meaning, purpose, or value. Do you know how meaningful differs from the synonyms expressive, significant, and suggestive? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of meaningful
Explanation
Use the adjective meaningful to describe something that has a purpose, like a political rally for a cause you believe in strongly. You would probably say that your backpacking trip across Asia was meaningful, or worthwhile, but you might not describe three hours watching bad TV shows as meaningful. When something is important or significant, it is meaningful, or "full of meaning." Meaning itself comes from the word mean, which has its roots in the Old English mænan, "to signify, tell, or complain."
Vocabulary lists containing meaningful
Power Suffix: -ful
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Very Necessary: Synonyms for "Important"
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-ful
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If rate-hike expectations fade because oil prices move lower, or the labor market starts to weaken, investors could see the buck’s 2026 gains start to reverse in a more meaningful way, he added.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 8, 2026
Many of today's cancer immunotherapies are designed to activate killer T cells, but only about 20% to 40% of patients experience meaningful benefits.
From Science Daily • Jul. 8, 2026
Private banks, private companies of meaningful scale, foreign investment and diaspora capital are the preconditions for an independent economic base.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026
The State Department urged China to "engage in meaningful arms control discussions and commit to a regularized notification arrangement for all intercontinental-range ballistic missile and space launches."
From Barron's • Jul. 7, 2026
Every now and then, however, she slips in a question that is meaningful.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
