Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The state or quality of being significant. See Synonyms at importance.
- n. A meaning that is expressed.
- n. A covert or implied meaning. See Synonyms at meaning.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. That which, is signified; purport; covert sense; real or implied meaning; that which may be inferred in regard to any state of things from any circumstance: as, the significance of a metaphor, of a chance remark, of a look, of behavior.
- n. Importance; move strictly, importance as significative of something interesting, but also, frequently, importance as affecting considerable interests: as, the great significance of many small things.
- n. The character of being significant; force of meaning; distinct signification; expressiveness. Synonyms Significance, Signification, Meaning, Meaning is the most general; it may apply to persons, but not the other words: as, what was his meaning? Signification is closer than significance; significance is especially the quality of signifying something, while signification is generally that which is signified: as, he attached a great deal of significance to this fact; what is the signification of D. C. L.?
Wiktionary
- n. The extent to which something matters; importance
- n. Meaning.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The quality or state of being significant.
- n. That which is signified; meaning; import.
- n. Importance; moment; weight; consequence.
WordNet 3.0
- n. the message that is intended or expressed or signified
- n. the quality of being significant
- n. a meaning that is not expressly stated but can be inferred
Examples
“In scholarly writing, the term significance refers to a very specialized statistical feature known in most fields as statistical significance.”
“I love contemplative first person narratives, in which nothing happens and yet everything of significance is profoundly altered.”
“One way you could cue the readers to its significance is to overdo the style in a caricaturish way.”
“The death of Osama bin Laden may or may not have great long-term significance, but there is no denying its immediate impact.”
The Wall Street Journal: Europe Needs a Spirit-Lifting Victory
“That may be the longer-term significance of yesterday's initiative – and in time it will have to involve Mr Clegg as well.”
“Cannadine suggests: "In its length, its range, its importance, its accomplishments and its long-term significance, Andrew Mellon's was one of the biggest American lives of its times.”
“The easiest way to prevent statistical significance is by using a pathetically small number of subjects in your experiment.”
The Huffington Post: Jeffrey Smith: GE Salmon? Are You Out of Your Minds?!
“The temptation to view sports events as symbolizing matters of larger significance is too infrequently resisted, but the second Louis-Schmeling fight merits the distinction.”
“That, too, alters in significance with shifts in Brian Engel's savvy lighting.”
The Washington Post: Forum Theatre's 'Scorched': Rambling play acted with admirable force
“The bigger significance is that these are baby attacks," he says.”
Lists
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Academic Vocabulary
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abandon, abandonment, abnormally, abstract, abstraction, abstractly, abstracts, academia, academic, academically, academics, academies and 3092 more...
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