meaningful

1 of 2

adjective

mean·​ing·​ful ˈmē-niŋ-fəl How to pronounce meaningful (audio)
Synonyms of meaningful
1
a
: having a meaning or purpose
The tests did not produce any meaningful results.
b
: full of meaning : significant
a meaningful life
a meaningful relationship
2
: having an assigned function in a language system
meaningful propositions
meaningfully adverb
meaningfulness noun

meaningfulness

2 of 2

noun

mean·​ing·​ful·​ness
plural -es
: the quality or state of being meaningful

Examples of meaningful in a Sentence

Adjective The test did not produce any meaningful results. She looked at him in a meaningful way. He wanted to feel that his job was meaningful. The trip turned out to be very meaningful for both of them.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
The point of the Top 10 lists, Chandrasekaran said, is to steer young adults to employers that are actively hiring recent graduates into jobs that can seed meaningful careers. Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 29 June 2026 These opportunists drown out the core mission, creating a cacophony of competing voices that confuses donors, crowd the inboxes of CEOs and members of Congress with colliding petitions, and paralyzes meaningful action by draining critical funding and attention away from the truly effective groups. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026 Monetary awards compensate these victims, deter future transgressions, and, by exposing systemic abuses of power, sometimes bring about meaningful reform. Joel B. Rudin, New York Daily News, 28 June 2026 As Pat Riley, Andy Elisburg and the Heat front office rebuild the Heat’s roster, Portis stands as a meaningful component of the deal in myriad ways. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for meaningful

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1852, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of meaningful was in 1852

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Meaningful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meaningful. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

meaningful

adjective
mean·​ing·​ful ˈmē-niŋ-fəl How to pronounce meaningful (audio)
1
: having a meaning or purpose
meaningful work
2
: full of meaning : significant
a meaningful experience
meaningfully adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on meaningful

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster