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

---

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

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."

Example Sentences

She wants women to know they can find meaningful and lasting relationships with men they might have once discounted because of their youth.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

“There’s no meaningful difference in the amount of money the top three candidates have raised,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

Although an Congress passed this budget after it was approved by an appropriations subcommittee, lawmakers didn’t exercise meaningful oversight or ask hard questions until the Church Committee.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

And investors won’t just be looking for a pickup in the top line; they also want meaningful AI revenue to indicate companies are AI beneficiaries rather than laggards, Slowinski added.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Rather than encouraging me to brand myself to appeal to sponsors, her goal was to select prospective sponsorships that would be personally meaningful to me.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

Related Words

• consequential
• essential
• important
• purposeful
• relevant
• serious
• substantial
• useful
• valid
• worthwhile