significantadjective
uk/sɪɡˈnɪf.ɪ.kənt/us/sɪɡˈnɪf.ə.kənt/significant adjective (IMPORTANT)
B2 important or noticeable:
There has been a significant increase in the number of women students in recent years.
The talks between the USA and the USSR were very significant for the relationship between the two countries.
More examples
- Is there any significant difference in quality between these two items?
- Research in the field of genito-urinary medicine has led to significant health advances in the last decade.
- The institution of a Freedom of Information Act has had a significant effect.
- You have all invested significant amounts of time and energy in making this project the success that it is.
- Lotus make luxury cars for a small but significant niche market.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Very important or urgent
- all-important
- arch
- at all cost(s) idiom
- be a matter of life and/or death idiom
- burning
- chief
- considerable
- critical
- major league
- make the world go around/round idiom
- materially
- minor league
- mission-critical
- prized
- prominent
- radical
- sacred
- salient
- seriously
- substantial
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significant adjective (SPECIAL MEANING)
having a special meaning:
She looked at him across the table and gave him a significant smile.
Do you think it's significant that he hasn't replied to my letter yet?
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Meaning & significance
- add
- add up to sth
- badge
- connotation
- denotation
- drift
- drive
- hermeneutic
- hermeneutics
- how
- loaded
- mean
- modality
- other
- pregnant
- put words in/into sb's mouth idiom
- significantly
- signify
- speak to sb idiom
- word
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