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Definition of significance noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

significance

noun
 
/sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəns/
 
/sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəns/
[uncountable, countable]
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  1. the importance of something, especially when this has an effect on what happens in the future
    • a decision of major political significance
    • The new drug has great significance for the treatment of the disease.
    • They discussed the statistical significance of the results.
    • We should be fully aware of the significance of television in shaping our ideas.
    Extra Examples
    • Let us not attach too much significance to these meetings.
    • The scientists are cautious about the wider significance of their findings.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • considerable
    • cosmic
    • deep
    verb + significance
    • have
    • acquire
    • assume
    significance + verb
    • lie in something
    • attach to something
    preposition
    • significance for
    • significance to
    • of significance
    phrases
    • be of little, no, etc. significance
    See full entry
  2. the meaning of something
    • She couldn't grasp the full significance of what he had said.
    • Do these symbols have any particular significance?
    compare insignificance
    Extra Examples
    • The ceremony has great symbolic significance.
    • a meal that has particular significance for a Jewish family
    • They failed to appreciate the true significance of these discoveries.
    • Suddenly his son's relationship with the girl took on a new significance.
    • The significance of this lies in the fact that he had previously denied all knowledge of the fund.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • considerable
    • cosmic
    • deep
    verb + significance
    • have
    • acquire
    • assume
    significance + verb
    • lie in something
    • attach to something
    preposition
    • significance for
    • significance to
    • of significance
    phrases
    • be of little, no, etc. significance
    See full entry
  3. Word Originlate Middle English (denoting unstated meaning): from Old French, or from Latin significantia, from significare ‘indicate, portend’.
See significance in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee significance in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
given
adjective
 
 
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