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Synonyms

meaningful

American  
[mee-ning-fuhl] / ˈmi nɪŋ fəl /

adjective

  1. full of meaning, significance, purpose, or value; purposeful; significant.

    a meaningful wink;

    a meaningful choice.
meaningful British  
/ ˈmiːnɪŋfʊl /

adjective

  1. having great meaning or validity

  2. eloquent, expressive

    a meaningful silence
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

  • meaningfully adverb
  • meaningfulness noun

Etymology

Origin of meaningful

First recorded in 1850–55; meaning + -ful

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.

Broadcom is coming off new deal announcements with Google and Anthropic that some analysts think will help translate to meaningful financial upside.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

What are some strategies to engage with the arts in a meaningful way when people have limited time and energy?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

A problem has to be meaningful for management to tweak its guidance near the end of the quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

Adding more steps does not necessarily increase performance, since most earlier steps no longer contribute in a meaningful way.

From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026

But for me, they formed a meaningful constellation.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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.