sig ‧ nif ‧ i ‧ cant ‧ ly S3 W2 AC /sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəntli/ BrE AmE adverb
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ significance ≠ ↑ insignificance , ↑ signification ; verb : ↑ signify ; adverb : ↑ significantly ≠ ↑ insignificantly ; adjective : ↑ significant ≠ ↑ insignificant ]
1 . in an important way or to an important degree:
Health problems can be significantly reduced by careful diet.
Methods used by younger teachers differ significantly from those used by older ones.
significantly better/greater/worse etc
Delia’s work has been significantly better this year.
2 . [sentence adverb] used to say that something is very important:
The Democrats, significantly, finished well behind the Green Party.
3 . in a way that seems to have a special meaning:
George paused, and glanced significantly in my direction.