significantly

[sig-nif-i-kuhnt-lee]

adverb

1. in a way or as a fact that is important and deserves attention.

   Significantly, Australia was a nation born in peacetime, not war.

2. by a relatively great amount or to a relatively high degree.

   She seems to have grown significantly as a character—her decisions are more mature, for one thing.

3. in a way that carries special, secret, or private meaning.

   The detective looked significantly at the collection of pills on the table, but said nothing.

4. Statistics.,  in a way or to a degree that is unlikely to occur by chance and therefore indicates a systematic cause.

   These results show that sleep significantly affects memory organization, even in the infant brain.

Other Word Forms

• nonsignificantly adverb
• supersignificantly adverb
• unsignificantly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of significantly¹

significant ( def. ) + -ly

Related Words

• actually 
• approximately 
• necessarily 
• originally 
• permanently www.thesaurus.com
• quite 
• really 
• substantially 
• truly 
• typically 
• virtually