signifier

noun

sig·​ni·​fi·​er ˈsig-nə-ˌfī(-ə)r How to pronounce signifier (audio)
1
: one that signifies
2
: a symbol, sound, or image (such as a word) that represents an underlying concept or meaning compare signified

Examples of signifier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But what Tenenbaum is exploring in her writing is the idea that love isn’t confined to the kinds of relationships that tend to be signifiers of social status. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024 Walkmen, camcorders, VHS tapes, pixelated videos of Bill Clinton and other signifiers of that period are deployed with the deftness of a cultural insider. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 Simpson was also slightly suspicious of Hoover on account of the volume of beadwork and Native American signifiers that she was known to wear. Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 But the man himself has been abstracted into an image for sale, a signifier adorning a dorm-room poster, his songs of peace and freedom the dutiful standards of beach-bar cover bands across the globe. Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024 But The Love Witch director Anna Biller inverted that trope in her 2016 film by using turquoise shadow as a signifier of heroine Elaine’s agency and deadly power — a witch who lures men into her trap, coloring them objects of her own desire and later, vengeance. Emily Leibert, Allure, 25 Jan. 2024 It will be hurled as an epithet but also transformed by Márquez into a signifier of connection. Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 27 Jan. 2024 Are calls for the veneration of martyrs and intifada antisemitic or legitimate signifiers of opposition? Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2024 That doesn’t preclude her from being a keen observer of its subtleties and signifiers. Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'signifier.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1532, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of signifier was in 1532

Dictionary Entries Near signifier

Cite this Entry

“Signifier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/signifier. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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