signified

[ sig-nuh-fahyd ]

/ ˈsɪg nəˌfaɪd /

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noun Linguistics.

the thing or concept denoted by a sign.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Compare signifier.

Origin of signified

First recorded in 1630–40; signify + -ed²

OTHER WORDS FROM signified

un·sig·ni·fied, adjective

Words nearby signified

significant symbol, signification, significative, significs, signifié, signified, signifier, signify, signifying, sign-in, signing

How to use signified in a sentence

Remember when it signified an actual ... “madwoman”, in an actual ... “attic”?
Six Fictional Marriages that Have Gone Very, Very Wrong|Jean Hanff Korelitz|March 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Milton Ager and Jack Yellow song signified the end of a dark era in American history...and the start of something new.
Marc Jacobs is on Cloud Nine at New York Fashion Week|Erin Cunningham|February 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To them, that “signified a lack of recovery and inability to move on.”
People Who Have Had Rebound Sex Tell Us Why It Is Awesome|Emily Shire|January 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
People wanted to know what she was wearing, not because it signified anything, but simply because it was on her back.
First Lady Fashion Fatigue|Robin Givhan|November 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Ruth could hardly face returning to America and the failure that would have signified.
The Tragic Life of Barack Obama’s Father|Sally H. Jacobs|July 10, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It signified that he had definitely given up pretending that he had the power of shaking off the obsession.
Uncanny Tales|Various
Without any training in or natural bent for diplomacy, Aguinaldo had not the faintest idea of what foreign “protection” signified.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Both signified his death, and the opening up thereby of a way of access to God.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
This event, which would have meant so much to any other young man, signified little to Tchaikovsky.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
Even Mr. Pizotti signified his satisfaction with the way in which the play proceeded.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison