signified

[sig-nuh-fahyd]

noun

Semiotics.

1. the thing or concept denoted by an arrangement of sounds or symbols, an object, an action, etc., which constitutes a pattern or unit, and which communicates meaning.

Word History and Origins

Origin of signified¹

First recorded in 1630–40; signify + -ed ²

Example Sentences

The box office totals for the subsequent weekends after a film’s opening were more important to him than its debut, as it signified moviegoers essentially voting for a film by going back again and again.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Just all the pain, all the suffering, all the longing, all the workouts, all the late nights, all the no-love, no-opportunity, that run signified the release of that,” his father said.

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If the girl was able to chomp down on her desired apple on the first try, that signified that she was destined to be with her sweetheart.

Read more on Salon

That moment in Northampton signified how far not only Hele has come, but South African women's rugby as a whole.

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It signified a rare shift in transfer policy.

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Related Words

• hidden 
• implicit 
• indirect 
• latent 
• lurking 
• tacit 
• unspoken