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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Significant: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：important (significant)

significant 🔊

/sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/

adj.

Having a major effect or being very important.

Significant meaning illustrated by a major UN treaty signing ceremony.

important 🔊

➕

/ɪmˈpɔːrtnt/

adj.

Describes something that has a major effect or is of great consequence, not trivial or minor.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'significare' (to show by signs, to mean), from 'signum' (sign) + 'facere' (to make).

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a 'SIGN' that's 'IMPORTANT'. A SIGN that's significant cannot be ignored.

📖 Example

Reducing plastic use is a significant step toward protecting our oceans. 🔊 Reducing plastic use is a highly important step toward protecting our oceans.

🔗 Collocations

significant impact – a major and noticeable effect

significant contribution – a highly valuable addition or effort

significant difference – a clear and important distinction or change

🔄 Synonyms

important (adj.) – Of great value, consequence, or influence.

momentous (adj.) – Of great importance, especially historically.

pivotal (adj.) – Of crucial importance in relation to the success of something else.

🚫 Antonyms

insignificant (adj.) – Too small or unimportant to be worth consideration.

trivial (adj.) – Of little value or importance.

negligible (adj.) – So small or unimportant as to be not worth considering.

🌱 Derivatives

significance (n.) – The quality of being important; the meaning or essence of something.

significantly (adv.) – In a sufficiently great or important way as to be worthy of attention.

📖 Cultural Story

This word comes from Latin 'significans', meaning 'indicating'. In modern English, it's a crucial term in statistical analysis (p-value < 0.05 is 'statistically significant') and academic writing to denote importance beyond chance.

Meaning 2：substantial (significant)

significant 🔊

/sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/

adj.

Large enough to be noticeable or to matter.

Significant increase shown by a dramatic rise in social media followers.

substantial 🔊

➕

/səbˈstænʃl/

adj.

Refers to an amount, change, or degree that is large enough to be noticeable or to have an effect.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

The new app saw a significant increase in users within just one month of its launch. 🔊 The new app experienced a substantial increase in users within just one month of its launch.

🔗 Collocations

significant amount – a considerable quantity

significant growth – a marked and sizable expansion

significant number – a large or considerable figure

🔄 Synonyms

considerable (adj.) – Large in size, amount, or extent.

substantial (adj.) – Of considerable importance, size, or worth.

sizable (adj.) – Fairly large in amount or size.

🚫 Antonyms

slight (adj.) – Small in degree; inconsiderable.

marginal (adj.) – Minor; not significant or central.