Words / C1

sig-NIF-ik-uh-ns/sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəns/

Significance is importance, or (in research) a statistical result unlikely to be chance: political significance, statistical significance. Importance is everyday; meaning is wider; significant (already in the dictionary) is the adjective. Do not treat p < 0.05 with n = 12 as a national finding.

Meaning

The importance of something, including statistical significance in research.

Examples

• “Statistical significance with n = 12 is still a small sitting, not a national finding.”
• “Importance is everyday. Meaning is broader. A significant other is a different idiom. Effect size still matters. A tiny sample can star in a table and still not travel. Report the n beside the star.”

Good to know

Importance; also a statistical result. Everyday: importance. Adjective: significant (already in the dictionary). A star in a table ≠ a census.

Near in meaning

important

New