meaningful

meaningful — adjective

1. describes a look, glance, gesture, or silence that is intended to communicate a

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a look, glance, gesture, or silence that is intended to communicate a particular thought or feeling without using words

Example

Marta gave her a meaningful look across the dinner table.

collocation: meaningful look / glance

The teacher's meaningful pause told the students to wait before answering.

collocation: meaningful pause / silence

Common collocations
  • meaningful look
  • meaningful glance
  • meaningful pause
  • meaningful silence
Synonyms
  • knowing

    suggests shared understanding between two people; narrower in application

  • significant

    broader term that can be used for both words and gestures

  • expressive

    focuses on the emotional content being shown clearly

Antonyms
  • blank

    a blank look shows no emotion or intention

  • expressionless

    shows nothing about what the person is thinking

Grammar Patterns

meaningful + noun (look, glance, pause, silence, gesture)

be + meaningful

Usage Note

Frequently used with nouns that describe silent communication: look, glance, pause, silence, nod, gesture. The intended meaning is usually understood between the people involved but hidden from others.

Common Mistakes

She gave him a meaningful speech about the project.
She gave him a meaningful look during the speech.
This sense only describes non-verbal signals, not spoken words.

2. having real value, importance, or seriousness — for example, a meaningful job th

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

having real value, importance, or seriousness — for example, a meaningful job that gives you a sense of purpose, or a meaningful relationship that changes your life for the better

Example

Hui wants a career that feels truly meaningful and helpful to others.

gradable: truly meaningful / deeply meaningful

The award ceremony was a deeply meaningful moment for everyone in the room.

Common collocations
  • meaningful job
  • meaningful relationship
  • meaningful conversation
  • meaningful work
  • meaningful experience
  • meaningful contribution
Synonyms
  • worthwhile

    emphasises that the effort or time spent is justified

  • important

    broader; can refer to objective significance, not just personal value

  • valuable

    focuses on usefulness or benefit to someone

  • significant

    suggests notable impact or consequence

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

meaningful + noun (job, relationship, conversation, work, experience)

be + meaningful

meaningful + to + someone

Usage Note

Gradable — common modifiers include deeply, truly, genuinely, really, more, most. Subject is often an experience, relationship, work, or contribution. This is the most frequent sense of the word.

Common Mistakes

This is a meaningful problem that needs an answer.
This is an important problem that needs an answer.
'Meaningful' implies personal or emotional value, not just objective significance.
I learned meaningful English words today.
I learned useful English words today.
'Meaningful' sounds too strong for everyday usefulness; use 'useful' for practical benefit.

3. easy to understand because the purpose, message, or arrangement is clear and wel

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

easy to understand because the purpose, message, or arrangement is clear and well communicated

Example

The instructions were not meaningful enough for Putri to follow on her own.

pattern: not meaningful enough

Christopher added labels to the chart to make the data more meaningful to readers.

Common collocations
  • meaningful data
  • meaningful information
  • meaningful text
  • meaningful result
  • meaningful communication
Synonyms
  • clear

    simpler, more general; lacks the implication of purpose

  • comprehensible

    more formal; focuses on understandability

  • intelligible

    formal; only about being understood, not about purpose

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

meaningful + noun (data, information, text, result)

be + meaningful + to + someone

become / make + meaningful

Usage Note

Common in academic, analytical, or instructional contexts. The opposite of 'meaningless' in this sense is 'clear' or 'intelligible'. Distinguished from Sense 2 by its focus on comprehension rather than personal value.

Common Mistakes

The data is very meaningful for our research.
The data is meaningful in our research.
When describing clarity/understandability, use 'meaningful in' or 'meaningful to', not 'for'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

All four words describe things that matter, but they differ in what kind of value they emphasise. 'Meaningful' points to personal or emotional significance — a conversation feels meaningful because it touches you deeply. 'Worthwhile' is more practical: a task is worthwhile if the effort pays off. 'Significant' highlights impact or consequence; a significant change is one that makes a noticeable difference. 'Important' is the broadest and most neutral — it can refer to anything that deserves attention. 'Valuable' focuses on usefulness or benefit, often in a concrete way. For example, a meaningful friendship makes you feel understood; a valuable friendship might be one that helps you network.

worthwhile ↗significant ↗important ↗valuable ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • meaningful to someone
  • meaningful in context

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed in the mid-19th century by adding the suffix '-ful' ('full of') to 'meaning', which comes from the Old English verb 'mǣnan' ('to intend, signify'). The word replaced earlier phrasing such as 'full of meaning'.