significant

From Latin significans, present participle of significare, from signum, "sign", + ficare, "do" or "make", variant of facere.

• IPA^(key): /sɪɡˈnɪ.fɪ.kənt/

• Audio

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• (US, also) IPA^(key): /sɪɡˈnɪ.fɪ.ɡənt/

significant (comparative more significant, superlative most significant)

1. Signifying something; carrying meaning.

   a significant word or sound; a significant look

   • Sir Walter Raleigh

     It was well said of Plotinus, that the stars were significant, but not efficient.

   • Percy Fitzgerald, The Supercargo's Story

     As evening came on, it grew prematurely dark and cloudy; while the waves acquired that dull indigo tint so significant of ugly weather.

2. Having a covert or hidden meaning.
3. Having a noticeable or major effect; notable.

   That was a significant step in the right direction.

   The First World War was a significant event.

4. Reasonably large in number or amount.
5. (statistics) Having a low probability of occurring by chance (for example, having high correlation and thus likely to be related).

• This word may be ambiguous in some situations. In formal writing, care should be taken with comments such as "the difference is significant," because it is not clear without contextual clues whether significant modifies the fact that there is a difference ("notable"), or the difference itself ("large in number or amount"). In some such situations, large and other synonyms may be used in its place.

• important

• insignificant
• ignorable
• negligible
• slight

• significance
• significand
• significant other
• signify

significant (plural significants)

1. That which has significance; a sign; a token; a symbol.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Wordsworth to this entry?)

   • Shakespeare

     In dumb significants proclaim your thoughts.

significant

1. present participle of significar

significant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of significō