Definition

1. Noun:
   • The meaning or message conveyed by something: The idea, information, or feeling that is intended to be communicated or understood.
   • The quality of being important, notable, or having consequence: The state or fact of having a considerable effect on or influence over an outcome or situation.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Meaning):

  • The significance of his silence was not lost on the audience. (The implied meaning of his silence was understood by the audience.)
  • Scholars debate the significance of the ancient symbol. (Scholars debate what the ancient symbol means.)

• Noun (Importance):

  • The discovery was of great scientific significance. (The discovery was very important for science.)
  • She understood the significance of the meeting. (She understood the important nature of the meeting.)

Advanced Usage

• "To attach significance to something": To consider something important or meaningful.

  • He attaches great significance to punctuality. (He considers punctuality very important.)

• "Historical significance": The importance of an event, person, or thing in history.

  • The treaty is remembered for its historical significance. (The treaty is remembered for its importance in history.)

• "Statistical significance": (A specialized term) A measure in statistics indicating that a result is unlikely to have occurred by chance.

  • The correlation was found to have high statistical significance. (The correlation was very unlikely to be random.)

Variants and Related Words

• Significant (adj): Having meaning; important or considerable.

  • A significant amount of money. (A large/important amount of money.)
  • A significant look. (A look full of meaning.)

• Signify (verb): To be a sign of; to mean; to indicate.

  • A red flag signifies danger. (A red flag is a sign of danger.)

• Signification (noun): The meaning or sense of a word or expression. (More formal, often used in linguistics.)

  • The exact signification of the term is debated. (The precise meaning of the term is debated.)

Synonyms

• Meaning: The idea that is represented or conveyed.
• Importance: The quality of being significant or having value.
• Consequence: Importance or relevance, especially in terms of effect.
• Implication: A meaning that is suggested or implied rather than explicitly stated.

Antonyms

• Insignificance: The quality of being unimportant or trivial.
• Meaninglessness: The state of having no meaning or purpose.

Related Phrases

• "Of no significance": Unimportant, trivial.

  • The error was of no significance to the final result. (The error was unimportant for the final result.)

• "Full of significance": Rich with meaning or importance.

  • Her final words were full of significance. (Her final words were very meaningful.)

Noun

1. the message that is intended or expressed or signified
   • what is the meaning of this sentence
   • the significance of a red traffic light
   • the signification of Chinese characters
   • the import of his announcement was ambiguous
2. a meaning that is not expressly stated but can be inferred
   • the significance of his remark became clear only later
   • the expectation was spread both by word and by implication
3. the quality of being significant
   • do not underestimate the significance of nuclear power