signified

[ sig-nuh-fahyd ]

/ ˈsɪg nəˌfaɪd /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR signified ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Linguistics.

the thing or concept denoted by a sign.

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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 other, significant symbol, signification, significative, significs, signified, signifier, signifié, signify, signifying, signing

Definition for signified (2 of 2)

signify

[ sig-nuh-fahy ]

/ ˈsɪg nəˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object), sig·ni·fied, sig·ni·fy·ing.

to make known by signs, speech, or action.

to be a sign of; mean; portend.

verb (used without object), sig·ni·fied, sig·ni·fy·ing.

to be of importance or consequence.

Origin of signify

1200–50; Middle English signifien < Old French signifier < Latin significāre to make a sign, indicate, mention, denote. See sign, -ify

SYNONYMS FOR signify

1 signal, express, indicate.

2 represent, indicate, denote, betoken, imply.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR signify ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM signify

sig·ni·fi·a·ble, adjectiveun·sig·ni·fi·a·ble, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for signified

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
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

When the House censured Charlie Rangel yesterday, it signified a shift in how Congress does business.
Rangel's Symbolic Shaming|John Avlon|December 3, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Anath signified the fountain of light, and was abbreviated Nath and Neith by the Egyptians.
A New System; or, an Analysis of Antient Mythology. Volume I.|Jacob Bryant
That was the pet name which Elfgiva had given to her Danish attendant because it signified lively one.
The Ward of King Canute|Ottilie A. Liljencrantz
Of these friends, forty-four in number, only seventeen were marked with the g which signified that their friendship was trusted.
A History of English Prose Fiction|Bayard Tuckerman
His London world talked of a hardening of heart and a tightening of purse-strings which signified disloyalty to the Cause.
A Diversity of Creatures|Rudyard Kipling
Its position at Montreal signified the recognized place for parley councils for peace overtures.
Montreal 1535-1914 under the French Rgime|William Henry Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for signified

signify

/ (ˈsɪɡnɪˌfaɪ) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied (when tr, may take a clause as object)

(tr) to indicate, show, or suggest

(tr) to imply or portendthe clouds signified the coming storm

(tr) to stand as a symbol, sign, etc (for)

(intr) informal to be significant or important

Derived forms of signify

signifiable, adjectivesignifier, noun

Word Origin for signify

C13: from Old French signifier, from Latin significāre, from signum a sign, mark + facere to make

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