definitions

significance

[ sig-nif-i-kuhns ]
/ sɪgˈnɪf ɪ kəns /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR significance ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

importance; consequence: the significance of the new treaty.
meaning; import: The familiar place had a new significance for her.
the quality of being significant or having a meaning: to give significance to dull chores.

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RELATED WORDS

connotation, implication, understanding, sense, weight, matter, influence, gravity, merit, relevance, magnitude, virtue, consequence, prestige, heart, force, meat, point, nitty-gritty, nub

Nearby words

signet, signet ring, signet-ring cell, signet-ring cell carcinoma, signifiant, significance, significance level, significance test, significancy, significant, significant digits

Origin of significance

1400–50; late Middle English (< Middle French) < Latin significantia force, meaning, equivalent to significant- (see significant) + -ia -ia; see -ance
Related formsnon·sig·nif·i·cance, nounself-sig·nif·i·cance, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for significance

British Dictionary definitions for significance

significance

/ (sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəns) /

noun

consequence or importance
something signified, expressed, or intended
the state or quality of being significant
statistics
  1. a measure of the confidence that can be placed in a result, esp a substantive causal hypothesis, as not being merely a matter of chance
  2. (as modifier)a significance level Compare confidence level See also hypothesis testing
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

Word Origin and History for significance

significance

n.

c.1400, "meaning," from Old French significance or directly from Latin significantia "meaning, force, energy," from significans, present participle of significare "to mean, import, signify" (see signify). The earlier word was signifiance (mid-13c.). Meaning "importance" is from 1725. Related: Significancy.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper