significant figure

[sig-nif-i-kuhnt fig-yer]

noun

1. each of the digits forming a number that expresses a determined degree of calculation: a sequence of significant figures always begins with the number’s first nonzero digit.

   Rounding each of the measurements to three significant figures, your answers to the first two problems should be 19.0 inches and 4.52 kilometers, respectively.

Word History and Origins

Origin of significant figure¹

First recorded in 1610–20

Example Sentences

“Preppy dressing is back. The old money vibe is back, the obsession with Carolyn Bessette,” said Alt, who made her name selling apartments that often belonged to artists and other significant figures.

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Recent threat assessments may not capture the full scope of potential risks to such a historically significant figure.

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Over time, Dame Anna gradually became a significant figure not just in fashion, but western culture.

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“To know that some of the most significant figures in American social and political life support the Enhanced Games is more important to us than any investment,” he said on a video call in February.

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Who would have guessed he’d not only go to become president, twice, but emerge as the most dominant and significant figure on the national scene since Franklin D. Roosevelt?

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