Fitted or designed to signify or make known somethingl having a meaning; standing as a sign or token; expressive or suggestive; as, a significant word or sound; a significant look. [1913 Webster]
"It was well said of Plotinus, that the stars were significant, but not efficient." [1913 Webster]
Deserving to be considered; important; momentous; as, a significant event. [1913 Webster]

Significant figures (Arith.), the figures which remain to any number, or decimal fraction, after the ciphers at the right or left are canceled. Thus, the significant figures of 25,000, or of .0025, are 25.

significant, n.

That which has significance; a sign; a token; a symbol. Wordsworth. [1913 Webster]

"In dumb significants proclaim your thoughts." [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

significant, adj.
1 having a meaning; indicative.
2 having an unstated or secret meaning; suggestive (refused it with a significant gesture).
3 noteworthy; important; consequential (a significant figure in history).
4 Statistics of or relating to the significance in the difference between an observed and calculated result.

Idiom

significant figure Math. a digit conveying information about a number containing it, and not a zero used simply to fill vacant space at the beginning or end.

Derivative

significantly adv.

Etymology

L significare: see SIGNIFY

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THESAURUS

significant

absolute, adducible, admissible, allegorical, associational, attestative, attestive, augural, authentic, based on, big, big-league, big-name, big-time, bigwig, bigwigged, certain, circumstantial, cogent, compelling, conclusive, connotational, connotative, consequential, considerable, conspicuous, convincing, critical, cumulative, damning, decisive, definable, demonstrative, denominative, denotational, denotative, designative, determinative, diagnostic, documentary, documented, double-barreled, earthshaking, eloquent, emblematic, evidence, evidential, evidentiary, ex parte, exhibitive, expressive, extended, extensional, eye-witness, factual, facund, figural, figurative, final, firsthand, forceful, forerunning, foreshadowing, foreshowing, foretokening, forewarning, founded on, full of meaning, full of point, full of substance, grand, great, grounded on, hearsay, heavy with meaning, heavyweight, high-powered, historic, identifying, ideographic, idiosyncratic, implicative, implicit, important, impressive, in the limelight, incontrovertible, index, indicating, indicative, indicatory, indisputable, individual, informative, intelligible, intensional, interpretable, intuitive, irrefutable, irresistible, major, mark, material, meaning, meaningful, meaty, meritorious, metaphorical, momentous, monitory, name, naming, notable, noteworthy, nuncupative, outstanding, overwhelming, pathognomonic, peculiar, pithy, pointed, powerful, precursive, precursory, predictive, prefigurative, pregnant, preindicative, premonitory, presageful, presaging, presumptive, probative, prognostic, prognosticative, prominent, readable, referential, relevant, reliable, representative, rich, self-important, semantic, semiotic, sententious, sign, signal, signalizing, significative, signifying, sound, substantial, substantive, suggestive, superior, sure, symbolic, symbolistic, symbological, symptom, symptomatic, symptomatologic, telling, to the front, token, transferred, typical, valid, valuable, valued, warning, weighty, world-shaking

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ROGET THESAURUS

significant

Importance

N importance, consequence, moment, prominence, consideration, mark, materialness, import, significance, concern, emphasis, interest, greatness, superiority, notability, weight, value, usefulness, gravity, seriousness, solemnity, no joke, no laughing matter, pressure, urgency, stress, matter of life and death, memorabilia, notabilia, great doings, red-letter day, great thing, great point, main chance, the be all and the end all, cardinal point, substance, gist, sum and substance, gravamen, head and front, important part, principal part, prominent part, essential part, half the battle, sine qua non, breath of one's nostrils, cream, salt, core, kernel, heart, nucleus, keynote, keystone, corner stone, trump card, salient points, top sawyer, first fiddle, prima donna, chief, triton among the minnows, 'it', important, of importance, momentous, material, to the point, not to be overlooked, not to be despised, not to be sneezed at, egregious, weighty, of note, notable, prominent, salient, signal, memorable, remarkable, unforgettable, worthy of remark, worthy of notice, never to be forgotten, stirring, eventful, grave, serious, earnest, noble, grand, solemn, impressive, commanding, imposing, urgent, pressing, critical, instant, paramount, essential, vital, all-absorbing, radical, cardinal, chief, main, prime, primary, principal, leading, capital, foremost, overruling, of vital importance in the front rank, first-rate, superior, considerable, marked, rare, significant, telling, trenchant, emphatic, pregnant, tanti, materially, in the main, above all, kat' exochin, par excellence, to crown all, to beat all, expende Hannibalem!.

Meaning

N meaning, signification, significance, sense, expression, import, purport, force, drift, tenor, spirit, bearing, coloring, scope, substance, gist, essence, marrow, spirit, matter, subject, subject matter, argument, text, sum and substance, general meaning, broad meaning, substantial meaning, colloquial meaning, literal meaning, plain meaning, simple meaning, natural meaning, unstrained meaning, true meaning, honest meaning, &c 543 prima facie meaning, letter of the law, literally, after acceptation, synonym, implication, allusion, suggestion, figure of speech, acceptation, meaning, expressive, suggestive, allusive, significant, significative, significatory, pithy, full of meaning, pregnant with meaning, declaratory, intelligible, literal, synonymous, tantamount, implied, explicit, to that effect, that is to say.

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