meaningful

[ mee-ning-fuhl ]

adjective

1. full of meaning, significance, purpose, or value; purposeful; significant:

   a meaningful wink;

   a meaningful choice.

meaningful

/ ˈmiːnɪŋfʊl /

adjective

1. having great meaning or validity
2. eloquent, expressive

   a meaningful silence

Derived Forms

• ˈmeaningfully, adverb
• ˈmeaningfulness, noun

Other Words From

• meaning·ful·ly adverb
• meaning·ful·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of meaningful¹

First recorded in 1850–55; meaning + -ful

Example Sentences

Based on your research into effective political activism, what can individuals who are concerned about climate change do to empower themselves in meaningful ways?

From Salon

It's nice to have stuff that feels meaningful in a movie that's also really fun and silly.

From Salon

On top of this endorsement of irony, Berlant also theorized a post-irony characterized by meaningful sincerity, allowing us to patch or bridge the affective conflicts of public life that can’t be resolved through ironic detachment.

From Salon

"It’s a hugely complex societal problem but we need to work better together because if we really want people to have meaningful and engaged lives we need to start with education."

From BBC

The Department of Health advised that while caution was needed with the statistics because of the introduction of the new electronic records system Encompass, they gave "a meaningful representation" of current waiting lists.

From BBC

Related Words

• consequential
• essential
• important
• purposeful
• relevant
• serious
• substantial
• useful
• valid
• worthwhile

When To Use

What are other ways to say meaningful?

Something that is meaningful, such as a meaningful wink or meaningful choice, is full of meaning, purpose, or value. Do you know how meaningful differs from the synonyms expressive, significant, and suggestive? Find out on Thesaurus.com.