Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having or conveying a meaning; expressive: "significant" can describe something that carries meaning or communicates something important.
   • Important, notable, or worthy of attention: It indicates that something is of considerable importance or consequence.
   • Statistically significant: In research and statistics, it describes a result that is unlikely to be due to chance alone, indicating a real effect or relationship.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • She gave me a significant look, hinting that I should stop talking. (The look was meaningful and conveyed a message.)
  • The discovery of penicillin was a significant event in medical history. (The event was very important.)
  • The study found a significant correlation between exercise and improved mood. (The correlation was statistically valid and not random.)

Advanced Usage

• "Statistically significant": A term used in data analysis to denote that a result (like a difference or correlation) is strong enough that it is probably not due to random chance.

  • The p-value was less than 0.05, so the results are considered statistically significant.

• "Significant other": A common term for a person's romantic partner, such as a husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend.

  • You may bring a significant other to the company party.

Variants and Related Words

• Significance (n): The quality of being important or having meaning.

  • The significance of this ancient artifact is still being debated by historians.

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

  • A red traffic light signifies that you must stop.

• Insignificant (adj): Not important or meaningful; trivial.

  • The difference in their test scores was insignificant.

Synonyms

• Meaningful: Full of meaning or purpose.
• Important: Of great significance or value.
• Notable: Worthy of attention or remarkable.
• Substantial: Of considerable importance, size, or worth.

Antonyms

• Insignificant: Lacking importance or meaning.
• Trivial: Of little value or importance.
• Meaningless: Having no meaning or significance.

Related Phrases

• A significant amount/number of: A fairly large or considerable quantity.

  • A significant number of voters have not yet made up their minds.

• Of no significance: Not important.

  • The error in the report was of no significance and did not affect the conclusion.

Adjective

1. rich in significance or implication
   • a meaning look
2. too closely correlated to be attributed to chance and therefore indicating a systematic relation
   • the interaction effect is significant at the .01 level
   • no significant difference was found
3. fairly large
   • won by a substantial margin
4. important in effect or meaning
   • a significant change in tax laws
   • a significant change in the Constitution
   • a significant contribution
   • significant details
   • statistically significant