significant other

noun

Updated on: 14 May 2018

Definition of significant other

: a person who is important to one's well-being; especially : a spouse or one in a similar relationship

See significant other defined for English-language learners

Examples of significant other in a Sentence

Before you make such an important decision, you should talk it over with your significant other.
she has threatened to divorce her significant other if he doesn't stop gambling

Recent Examples of significant other from the Web

For many people, sitting down and hashing things out with your significant other's ex is awkward at best and painful at worse.

— refinery29.com, "Jada Pinkett Smith Had A Moving Conversation With Will Smith's Ex-Wife," 8 May 2018
San Juan, Puerto Rico Picture this: you, your significant other and a secluded pristine Caribbean beach.

— jason lemon, ajc, "The 5 top getaways from Atlanta this May," 27 Apr. 2018
Her family and her significant other's family have been sucked into the peanut butter and jelly madness.

— lily altavena, azcentral, "Teachers and volunteers are making sure 600,000 students don’t go hungry during walkout," 25 Apr. 2018
The two matched in black Invictus Games polo shirts, giving you and your significant other a very easy and not-too-involved option for your Harry and Meghan couples costume this Halloween.

— josh duboff, Vanities, "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Match in Black Polo Shirts at Invictus Games Training," 6 Apr. 2018
Matt and Amy divorced in 2016, and the former spouses have both moved on to a new significant other.

— eileen reslen, Good Housekeeping, "Matt Roloff's Instagram Has Fans Wondering About Tonight's Premiere," 3 Apr. 2018
The same applies when asking about your significant other's former bedmates—the simple question can snowball into more intrusive queries.

— anthea levi, Health.com, "When You Should—and Shouldn’t—Ask Your Partner How Many People They’ve Slept With," 28 Feb. 2018
The Family Stone and Christmas Morning Italian Strata This movie is all about trying to please a significant other's family, which Sarah Jessica Parker's character tries to do with a strata dish.

— womansday.com staff, Woman's Day, "20 Perfectly Paired Christmas Movie and Dinner Combos," 12 Dec. 2017
In the movie, Rachel takes a whirlwind trip to visit her boyfriend Nick’s (Henry Golding) family in Singapore, only to discover that her mild-mannered hunk of a significant other is actually one of Asia’s most eligible — and wealthiest — bachelors.

— cady lang, Time, "The Trailer for Crazy Rich Asians Has Arrived — and It's Insanely Opulent," 23 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'significant other.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of significant other

1940

in the meaning defined above

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SIGNIFICANT OTHER Defined for English Language Learners

significant other

noun

Definition of significant other for English Language Learners

: someone that you have a romantic relationship with : your husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend

Medical Dictionary

significant other

noun significant oth·er \ -ˈət͟h-ər \

medical Definition of significant other

: a person who is important to one's well-being; especially : a spouse or one in a similar relationship

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significant other

Definition of significant other

Examples of significant other in a Sentence

Recent Examples of significant other from the Web

First Known Use of significant other

SIGNIFICANT OTHER Defined for English Language Learners

significant other

Definition of significant other for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

significant other

medical Definition of significant other

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significant other

Definition of significant other

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First Known Use of significant other

SIGNIFICANT OTHER Defined for English Language Learners

significant other

Definition of significant other for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

significant other

medical Definition of significant other

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