Significant — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /sig-ˈni-fi-kənt/ sig·nif·i·cant

Meaning & Definition of Significant

Significant (adjective)

  1. having meaning; especially, full of import, suggestive
  2. having or likely to have influence or effect, important; also, large enough to be noticed or to have an effect
  3. likely caused by something other than mere chance

Significant (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having great meaning or lasting effect

    "made a significant change in the procedure for applying for citizenship"

    similar: big, consequential, earth-shattering, earthshaking, eventful, historic, important, major, material, meaningful, momentous, monumental, much, substantial, tectonic, weighty
    related: decisive, fatal, fateful, strategic, earnest, grave, heavy, serious, sincere, distinctive, exceptional, impressive, outstanding, prominent, remarkable, valuable, worthwhile, worthy, distinguished, eminent, great, illustrious, noble, notable, noteworthy, preeminent, prestigious, famous, notorious, renowned, all-important, central, critical, crucial, essential, key, pivotal, seminal, vital
    opposite: inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, little, minor, negligible, slight, small, trifling, trivial, unimportant
    near: paltry, petty, worthless, anonymous, nameless, obscure, uncelebrated, unknown

  2. indicating something

    "the town's generous library budget is significant of the value its residents place on learning"

    similar: denotative, denoting, indicative, reflective, signifying, telltale
    related: alluding, allusive, referring, characteristic, symptomatic, demonstrative, exhibiting, expressive, symbolic, connoting, hinting, implying, insinuating, suggestive

  3. having great power or influence

    "a producer who is playing a significant role in the creation of the new film"

    similar: heavy, heavy-duty, important, influential, mighty, potent, powerful, puissant, strong
    related: high-level, senior, top, able, capable, competent, effective, efficient, authoritarian, autocratic, despotic, dictatorial, magisterial, tyrannical, celebrated, distinguished, dominant, eminent, famed, famous, great, illustrious, noble, notable, noteworthy, notorious, outstanding, preeminent, prestigious, prominent, renowned, dynamic, energetic, forceful, high-powered, robust, vigorous
    opposite: helpless, impotent, insignificant, little, powerless, unimportant, weak
    near: feeble, flimsy, frail, infirm, anonymous, nameless, obscure, uncelebrated, unknown, incapable, incompetent, ineffective, inept, inexpert, unfit, unqualified, unskilled, unskillful

  4. sufficiently large in size, amount, or number to merit attention

    "paid a significant amount of money for the movie rights to the book"

    similar: biggish, considerable, good, goodly, handsome, healthy, largish, major, respectable, sizable, substantial, substantive, tidy
    related: big, bulky, hefty, hulking, outsize, oversize, voluminous, astronomical, bumper, colossal, elephantine, enormous, gigantic, great, herculean, huge, immense, jumbo, king-size, mammoth, massive, monstrous, monumental, prodigious, titanic, tremendous, whopping
    opposite: inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, insubstantial, negligible, nominal
    near: measly, minute, paltry, petty, picayune, picayunish, piddling, puny, trifling, trivial, unimportant, marginal, meager, slight, little, small, tiny, undersized, bitty, diminutive, miniature, pint-size, pocket, pocket-size, pygmy, smallish

  5. clearly conveying a special meaning (as one's mood)

    "after remarking that tardiness was on the rise, our boss cast a significant glance my way"

    similar: eloquent, expressive, meaning, meaningful, pregnant, revealing, revelatory, suggestive
    related: graphic, pictorial, vivid, evocative, redolent, reminiscent, sententious, weighty, flavorful, full-bodied, rich
    opposite: blank, deadpan, expresionless, inexpressive, unexpressive, vacant

Related Entry: Significant other (noun)

Significant other is a different word from Significant. The synonyms below are for significant other, not for significant.

  1. the person to whom another is married

    "she has threatened to divorce her significant other if he doesn't stop gambling"

    similar: better half, consort, mate, partner, spouse
    related: soulmate, domestic partner, bridegroom, groom, hubby, husband, man, mister, old man, bride, helpmate, helpmeet, lady, wife
    near: ex, single, bachelor, bachelorette, maid, maiden, spinster

Related Entry: Significant others (noun)

Significant others is a different word from Significant. The synonyms below are for significant others, not for significant.

  1. the person to whom another is married

    "she has threatened to divorce her significant other if he doesn't stop gambling"

    similar: better halves, consorts, mates, partners, spouses
    related: soul mates, domestic partners, bridegrooms, grooms, hubbies, husbands, men, misters, old men, brides, helpmates, helpmeets, ladies, wives
    near: exes, singles, bachelors, bachelorettes, maidens, maids, spinsters

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Significant

The most common words with a similar meaning to Significant:

big, consequential, earth-shattering, earthshaking, eventful, historic, important, major, material, meaningful, momentous, monumental, much, substantial, tectonic, weighty, denotative, denoting, indicative, reflective, signifying, telltale, heavy, heavy-duty, influential, mighty, potent, powerful, puissant, strong, biggish, considerable, good, goodly, handsome, healthy, largish, respectable, sizable, substantive

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Significant

Words with the opposite meaning of Significant:

inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, little, minor, negligible, slight, small, trifling, trivial, unimportant, helpless, impotent, powerless, weak, insubstantial, nominal, blank, deadpan, expresionless, inexpressive, unexpressive, vacant

Related Words for Significant

decisive, fatal, fateful, strategic, earnest, grave, serious, sincere, distinctive, exceptional, impressive, outstanding, prominent, remarkable, valuable, worthwhile, worthy, distinguished, eminent, great, illustrious, noble, notable, noteworthy, preeminent, prestigious, famous, notorious, renowned, all-important

Near Antonyms of Significant

paltry, petty, worthless, anonymous, nameless, obscure, uncelebrated, unknown, feeble, flimsy, frail, infirm, incapable, incompetent, ineffective, inept, inexpert, unfit, unqualified, unskilled, unskillful, measly, minute, picayune, picayunish, piddling, puny, marginal, meager, tiny

Origin & Etymology of Significant

Latin significant-, significans, present participle of significare to signify

First known use: 1566

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Significant

Words & Phrases Containing Significant

significant digit, significant other

Frequently Asked Questions about Significant

What does "Significant" mean?

"Significant" means having meaning; especially, full of import, suggestive. As an adjective, it is defined as: having meaning; especially, full of import, suggestive. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Significant"?

Other words for "Significant" include big, consequential, earth-shattering, earthshaking, eventful, historic, important and major. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Significant" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Significant"?

There are 155 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Significant". Common alternatives include big, consequential, earth-shattering, earthshaking, eventful, historic, important, major, material and meaningful.

What is the opposite of "Significant"?

Antonyms of "Significant" include inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, little, minor, negligible, slight and small. Near antonyms include paltry, petty, worthless and anonymous.

How do you use "Significant" in a sentence?

Examples of "Significant" in a sentence: "made a significant change in the procedure for applying for citizenship"; "the town's generous library budget is significant of the value its residents place on learning"; "a producer who is playing a significant role in the creation of the new film".

Is "Significant" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Significant" is an adjective.

Is "Significant" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

It is on the Academic Word List, so it appears often in IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and university texts.

How do you pronounce "Significant"?

"Significant" is pronounced /sig-ˈni-fi-kənt/ and divided into syllables as sig·nif·i·cant.