Thesaurus results for SIGNIFYING

signifying 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of signifying

as in indicative

indicating something his tendency to use weasel words is seen as a signifying character trait

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signifying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of signify

as in meaning

to be of importance never mind, as the color of the room doesn't signify in the least

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as in denoting

to communicate or convey (as an idea) to the mind the symbol failed to signify anything to me—until I realized that it was upside down

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as in indicating

to serve as a sign or symptom of the opening of the new mall signifies the city's overdue emergence from economic depression

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of signifying

Verb

While leather jackets have a deep history and utilitarian roots, the piece has become a signifying element of alternative style and edgy, punk sensibility. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026 Elisabeth Moss plays Atwood’s heroine, Offred, a name signifying that she has been assigned to Commander Fred Waterford, though her real name is June. — Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026 Each of the cubes, marking the hours, rotates at the top of the hour, with one cube in a lighter tone signifying the current time. — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 8 Sep. 2026 The world of things, bodies, texts and sensations as a plane or a web of connections and diversions, all of it on the signifying surface. — Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026 The cast’s Blackness is a huge part of this — signifying is in their blood — but the impact spread across the whole franchise. — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026 But Porter and Price saw the moose as a different member of the horse family, with the rainbow signifying pride. — Livia Caligor, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026 Modern interpreters have read his 10 heads as signifying his vast knowledge of 10 sacred texts, or alternately his 10 ethical failings, but the Ramayana account describes him as 10-headed from birth. — Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026 The signifying fruit was intended to get around the 1980 Israeli ban on political art featuring the grouping of the flag’s colors. — News Desk, Artforum, 28 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for signifying

Adjective

The loud-mouthed cameos from ex-soccer players Zlatan Ibrahimović and Eric Cantona in Nike’s World Cup hero film Rip the Script were indicative of this, chiming with an older, more arrogant vision of Nike seen in the ’90s and the aughts.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
In the past few weeks, though, the streamer has brought some of those partnerships to an end in a way that feels indicative of a larger strategic shift.

— Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of indicative

Verb

Most breast cancer cases in older women are estrogen-receptor positive (ER+), meaning that tumor cells have receptors that bind to estrogen and trigger cancer growth.

— Allessandra DiCorato, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
Lots of the brand’s enviable glassware is 20% off for Prime Day, meaning now is the time to scoop up an artistic coupe set or a modern salad bowl while the getting is good.

— Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of meaning

Verb

The following table, like others below, shows their ages on June 1, 2030, with greens highlighting younger players and reds denoting those who’ll be over 30.

— Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Eligible cars would receive special license plates denoting the car as a historic vehicle and be insured as collector motor vehicles.

— Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of denoting

Verb

The strikes targeted militant hideouts at two locations, with initial reports indicating 22 militants had been killed, Pakistan's Ministry of Information said.

— MUNIR AHMED, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
During that meeting, officials showcased data indicating that the number of violent incidents was lower last year compared to the year before, even accounting for a sharp enrollment decline.

— Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of indicating

Adjective

This in-shower treatment smooths the cuticle for reflective, glass-like shine, leaving strands softer, silkier, and ultra-glossy in just one minute.

— Madison San Miguel, Allure, 6 Oct. 2026
De Baise explained that this is reflective of a popular footwear trend of the ’90s, a decade Vaccarello is widely known to be aesthetically attached to.

— Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of reflective

Verb

The city’s zoning administrator is now weighing whether to revoke the operator’s permit.

— Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Beyond apprenticeships, the mayor’s childcare office is weighing opportunities for assistant teachers to become lead teachers, and partnerships with CUNY and other higher education institutions on more traditional models.

— Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of weighing

Verb

But the less strictly technical procedure Serra describes is analogous to operations at stake in Jonas’s own work, implying that the act of measurement by walking and seeing is tacitly existential.

— Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Manuel Bompard, a deputy of the French National Assembly who is also a member of France Unbowed, rebuked Macron by name for implying that his party was responsible for the chaos.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of implying

Verb

Trust ends up mattering more than uptime in deciding which platforms get automated against, and which get left out.

— Barry Bernstein, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Sai’Vion Jones is a third-round pick from 2025, and maybe that ends up mattering here, but Jackson’s a better player at this stage.

— Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of mattering

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Style

“Signifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/signifying. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of signifying

adjective

verb

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