What does significative mean?
Significative means meaningful, important, or capable of indicating something significant. It can describe an effect or distinction that matters, as in “a significative change,” or something that conveys meaning, as in “a deeply significative silence.” The adjective has a formal and literary tone and is much less common than “significant,” which is preferred in everyday speech. Its use often carries an emphasis on significance itself: a detail may be described as significative because it is not merely conspicuous but reveals an important truth, consequence, or relationship. The word is especially appropriate when discussing meaning, interpretation, history, or philosophical importance. Although it occurs in modern English, it can sound deliberately formal, so writers should consider whether the simpler and more familiar “significant” would communicate the intended sense more directly.
adjectiveHaving or expressing significance; meaningful or consequential. The word is chiefly used in formal or literary contexts.
- Important or consequential; having a significant effect.
- Expressing or indicating a particular meaning; meaningful.
"The museum's restoration revealed the previously insignificant building to be of great historical significance."
"There was a significative difference between the original manuscript and the restored version."
"Her silence throughout the interview was deeply significative."
A “significative” detail is not merely noticeable: it carries meaning that helps reveal the importance of the whole.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does significative come from?
“Significative” derives from the Latin significativus, meaning “having meaning” or “expressive of significance.” That form is connected to significare, “to mean” or “to signify,” the source of English words such as “significant,” “signify,” and “signification.” The English adjective appeared in the early 17th century and was initially used especially in discussions of language and meaning; its broader sense of “important or consequential” developed later.
Related word forms
How significative is actually used
Chiefly literary, formal, or academic. In ordinary modern English, “significant” is almost always the more natural choice.
Easily confused with significative
“Significant” is the standard everyday adjective for something important or consequential, whereas “significative” is rarer and often emphasizes meaning, relevance, or the status of being expressive of something.