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
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.
Based on this example, bioarchaeologist and study co-author Andrea Cucina theorized that the latest finds may exemplify a far more specific, geographically focused trend—possibly signifiers of a transition into adulthood. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 28 Aug. 2025 Today there is no such signifier marking our passage into the AI age. Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025 Just in the past month, people have taken to stringing together these signifiers into one manic phrase, Labubumatchadubaichocolate, as a way to refer to a broader Zeitgeist and its elaborately artificial aesthetic. Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2025 Shout-out to fake beards, one of the best signifiers of comedy since the ancient-Greek gag phallus. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for signifier

Word History

First Known Use

1532, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of signifier was in 1532

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Signifier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/signifier. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

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