# significantly

/sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəntɫi/ (US) · /sɪɡnˈɪfɪkəntli/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Adverb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/significantly
Updated: 2026-05-02

## Definition

in a way that is large or important enough to be noticed. You use this to show that a change or difference is meaningful.

For teachers: to a sufficiently great or important degree as to be worthy of attention. Often used to indicate statistical importance or a substantial shift in quantity or quality.

## Examples

- The price of gas has risen significantly this month.
- The new software update significantly improved the battery life of the older laptop models.
- While the initial results were promising, the researchers noted that the experimental group did not perform significantly better than the control group under standardized conditions.

## Pitfalls

- Not "The results are significant different." but "The results are significantly different." — Learners often use the adjective 'significant' to modify another adjective, but an adverb is required.

## Usage notes

- Typically modifies verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs; in academic contexts, it specifically implies that a result is unlikely to have occurred by chance.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.