significant
Americanadjective
-
important and deserving of attention; of consequence.
Their advice played a significant role in saving my marriage.
- Synonyms:
- weighty, momentous, consequential
-
relatively large in amount or quantity.
a significant decrease in revenue.
-
having or expressing a meaning; indicative.
a significant symbol of royalty.
-
having a special, secret, or disguised meaning; suggestive.
a significant wink.
-
Statistics. of or relating to observations that are unlikely to occur by chance and that therefore indicate a systematic cause.
Memory training produced a statistically significant improvement in group performance.
noun
adjective
-
having or expressing a meaning; indicative
-
having a covert or implied meaning; suggestive
-
important, notable, or momentous
-
statistics of or relating to a difference between a result derived from a hypothesis and its observed value that is too large to be attributed to chance and that therefore tends to refute the hypothesis
Usage
What are other ways to say significant? The adjective significant describes things that are important, indicative of something, or suggestive of a hidden secret meaning. Do you know when to use significant, expressive, meaningful, and suggestive? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
- nonsignificant adjective
- significantly adverb
- supersignificant adjective
- unsignificant adjective
Etymology
Origin of significant
First recorded in 1565–75; from Latin significant- (stem of significāns ), present participle of the verb significāre “to indicate, denote”; signify, -ant
Explanation
Use the adjective significant to describe something that is important. Your "significant other" means the person who's most important in your life. A significant result in a scientific study is a result large enough to matter. A less common meaning of significant is to describe something that has a special or hidden meaning. A significant smile can convey feelings or information without words. This adjective is from Latin significans, from significare "to signify," from signum "a sign, mark" plus facere "to make."
Vocabulary lists containing significant
Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 1
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 6
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 4
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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.
The blockade is set to drain more oil from a tight market, prolong the squeeze on other key commodities flowing through the strait and inject significant uncertainty into the global economy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Navy has significant firepower in the region that could support the blockade, including an aircraft carrier, multiple guided-missile destroyers, an amphibious assault ship and several other warships, according to Navy and Central Command officials.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
President Aoun, hoping to stop the bloodshed, proposed to negotiate directly with Israel, a significant step for two countries that do not even recognise each other.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
NASA’s Artemis II mission and SpaceX’s potential $2 trillion IPO highlight a resurgent space industry, driving significant stock gains.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
Jack and Phillip both looked at her, trying subtly to make the point that maybe such a comment wasn’t the most appropriate reaction for such a significant moment, but she steadily ignored their questioning glances.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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.
