significance Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the quality of being significant
    • do not underestimate the significance of nuclear power
  2. noun a meaning that is not expressly stated but can be inferred
    import; implication.
    • the significance of his remark became clear only later
    • the expectation was spread both by word and by implication
  3. noun the message that is intended or expressed or signified
    signification; import; meaning.
    • what is the meaning of this sentence
    • the significance of a red traffic light
    • the signification of Chinese characters
    • the import of his announcement was ambiguous

WordNet

Sig*nif"i*cance, Sig*nif"i*can*cy noun (Also<
  • Significance
  • Significancy
)
Etymology
L. significantia.
Definitions
  1. The quality or state of being significant.
  2. That which is signified; meaning; import; as, the significance of a nod, of a motion of the hand, or of a word or expression.
  3. Importance; moment; weight; consequence.
    With this brain I must work, in order to give significancy and value to the few facts which I possess. De Quincey.

Webster 1913