Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Latin
Origin: , present participle of significare; SIGNIFY

significant

 adjective
     
sig‧nif‧i‧cant S3 W1
1 having an important effect or influence, especially on what will happen in the future [≠ insignificant]:
His most significant political achievement was the abolition of the death penalty.
Please inform us if there are any significant changes in your plans.
significant for
The result is highly significant for the future of the province.
it is significant that
It is significant that the writers of the report were all men.
2 large enough to be noticeable or have noticeable effects [≠ insignificant]:
A significant number of drivers fail to keep to speed limits.
A significant part of Japan's wealth is invested in the West.
There is a significant difference between the number of home births now and ten years ago.
The rise in temperature is not statistically significant.
3 a significant look, smile etc has a special meaning that is not known to everyone:
He gave me a significant look.
WORD FOCUS: important WORD FOCUS: important
similar words: main, key, chief, principal, leading, vital, crucial, essential, significant
not important: unimportant, trivial, minor, irrelevant, insignificant

➔ See also important
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary