signifier
Americannoun
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a person or thing that signifies.
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Semiotics. something, such as an arrangement of sounds or symbols, an object, or an action, which constitutes a pattern or unit, and which communicates meaning.
Etymology
Origin of signifier
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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.
For white authors and readers, Morrison argued, blackness has been more metaphoric than real, a signifier of certain behavioral expectations.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026
A statement from trust said it had already implemented a programme of "signifier change".
From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026
I asked Turner: If she were back at the beginning of the generative A.I. boom and had the power to dictate the industry’s UX moves, what would she use as the signifier of A.I.?
From Slate • Dec. 26, 2025
I do hope that color in this book loses its power as that kind of a signifier and instead, is an empowering statement.
From Salon • Sep. 28, 2024
With every step on those cracked sidewalks, I passed a new signifier of urban decay.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
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.
