I. -kənt adjective
Etymology: Latin significant-, significans, present participle of significare to signify — more at signify
1. : having meaning ; especially : full of import : suggestive , expressive
the painter's task to pick out the significant details — Herbert Read
significant anecdote
2.
a. : suggesting or containing some concealed, disguised, or special meaning : standing as a sign or token
perhaps her glance was significant
b. : indicative
his actions were more significant of his real purpose than were his words
3.
a. : having or likely to have influence or effect : deserving to be considered : important , weighty , notable
even though the individual results may seem small, the total of them is significant — F.D.Roosevelt
b. : characterized by conveyance of an idea, thought, or feeling
transform what would otherwise be meaningless juxtapositions or sequences of sensations into significant entities — Vernon Lee
c. : probably caused by something other than mere chance
significant decrease in average yearly growth
statistically significant correlation between vitamin deficiency and disease
d. : characteristic and essential to the determination of some larger element of a language : distinctive
a significant grammatical form
every language … moves within a clearly definable range of significant speech sounds — R.A.Hall b.1911
the difference between the initial sounds of keel and cool is not significant in English
Synonyms: see expressive
II. noun
( -s )
: something that has or conveys significance : sign , token , symbol