as in indicative
indicating something
his tendency to use weasel words is seen as a signifying character trait
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in meaning
to be of importance
never mind, as the color of the room doesn't signify in the least
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of signifying
Emily Mercer, Footwear News, 17 May 2026
Pope Leo in December appointed Joliet Bishop Ronald Hicks as archbishop of New York, signifying a move to a more pastoral and missionary-inspired leadership in one of the largest archdiocese in the nation.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
At our wedding, my husband and I stood under a chuppah—a wedding canopy signifying the new home a Jewish couple will create together—that my mom crafted from a lace tablecloth her grandmother had sewn.
—Literary Hub, 6 May 2026
Though embedded in society, these young characters are Kaspar Hauser-like figures, spectrally isolated from the signifying world, forced to construct meaning for themselves, from the ground up.
—James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
The mislabeling of President Andrew Jackson’s portrait is just one of the telltale signs signifying that some bills getting passed around in Greater Boston are movie props and not legal tender.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Painted pink since 1918 (signifying peace at the end of World War I), the ‘Nellie’ is Cape Town’s ‘grande dame’, and dates back to 1899.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
In 2024, Fitzpatrick won reelection by nearly 13 percentage points, up from less than nine in his first election in 2016, signifying security in a historically swing-happy region, built through a meticulously moderate voting history.
—Zak Hudak, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Gaps between research and product As 420 – signifying April 20, a day celebrating cannabis culture – approaches each year, public attention turns toward the legal status of cannabis.
—Lucy Xiaolu Wang, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
Certainly there were luxe, strong visions of the wardrobe on the runway, but with hints of edge melded with signifying codes like the web, the interlock, the GG, the Flora, the bamboo, the bit and the Jackie.
—Emily Mercer, Footwear News, 17 May 2026
Pope Leo in December appointed Joliet Bishop Ronald Hicks as archbishop of New York, signifying a move to a more pastoral and missionary-inspired leadership in one of the largest archdiocese in the nation.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
At our wedding, my husband and I stood under a chuppah—a wedding canopy signifying the new home a Jewish couple will create together—that my mom crafted from a lace tablecloth her grandmother had sewn.
—Literary Hub, 6 May 2026
Though embedded in society, these young characters are Kaspar Hauser-like figures, spectrally isolated from the signifying world, forced to construct meaning for themselves, from the ground up.
—James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
The mislabeling of President Andrew Jackson’s portrait is just one of the telltale signs signifying that some bills getting passed around in Greater Boston are movie props and not legal tender.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Painted pink since 1918 (signifying peace at the end of World War I), the ‘Nellie’ is Cape Town’s ‘grande dame’, and dates back to 1899.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
In 2024, Fitzpatrick won reelection by nearly 13 percentage points, up from less than nine in his first election in 2016, signifying security in a historically swing-happy region, built through a meticulously moderate voting history.
—Zak Hudak, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Gaps between research and product As 420 – signifying April 20, a day celebrating cannabis culture – approaches each year, public attention turns toward the legal status of cannabis.
—Lucy Xiaolu Wang, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for signifying
Adjective
-
One person alone isn’t indicative of UCLA’s wins or losses, Inouye-Perez says.—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
According to Fontaine, the experiment demonstrated that sterile soil supports a flow of electrons indicative of processes that resemble the oxygen-dependent metabolism of the Krebs cycle.—
Siddhant Pusdekar,
Quanta Magazine,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
To pay for it, Porter would impose a progressive corporate tax, meaning more profitable businesses and corporations would pay a higher rate.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
Those wanting to double at State also had to contend with mile qualifying heats on Friday, meaning runners would potentially have four miles of races in 24 hours.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
The statistical evidence supports this when looking at the standard deviation — denoting the spread of a dataset — of points after 37 games across the past seven seasons.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
-
In front of them were the monkeys, which were placed on a sign denoting wildlife trafficking.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Current pricing is indicating virtually no chance of cuts anytime through at least 2027.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
-
An appeals court found that there was no evidence indicating Carroll personally secured the outside funding.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Designed by a team that includes Burns & McDonnell, Zahner, an architectural metal fabricator, and KEM Studio, the pavilion features a reflective metal canopy inspired by the reflection and flow of the Missouri River.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
30 May 2026
-
This inward, reflective energy will be around longer than usual as Mercury slows to a station retrograde in Cancer on June 29, extending its stay there all the way into early August.—
Kirah Tabourn,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Showing Claude and Danny weighing the pros and cons of parenthood while Ginny struggles to cope with single motherhood is a fun contrast.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
28 May 2026
-
Anniston Gage Jensen was born on March 4, 2026, weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce.—
Wendy Grossman Kantor,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Goldman Sachs on Wednesday raised its 12-month target for the benchmark Kospi to 12,000, implying more than 35% upside from current levels.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
-
Earlier this month, Matsui’s campaign came after Vang for taking corporate donations from Sacramento-area businesses during her city council campaigns, implying that Vang’s vows to not accept money from corporate PACs in her congressional bid is hypocritical.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Ask yourself what exactly stopped mattering and why, and know that there’s a difference between temporary exhaustion and genuine misalignment.—
Maggie McGrath,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
And so my surreal day-to-day, a regular life broken up by suspensions of my rights, stopped mattering.—
Abraham Jiménez Enoa,
The Dial,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Signifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/signifying. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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