different between significant vs vital

English

Etymology

From Latin significans, present participle of significare, from signum (“sign”) + ficare (“do, make”), variant of facere.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s???n?.f?.k?nt/

• (US, also) IPA^(key): /s???n?.f?.??nt/

Adjective

significant (comparative more significant, superlative most significant)

1. Signifying something; carrying meaning.

   Synonym: meaningful

   • It was well said of Plotinus, that the stars were significant, but not efficient.
2. Having a covert or hidden meaning.
3. Having a noticeable or major effect.

   Synonym: notable
4. Reasonably large in number or amount.
5. (statistics) Having a low probability of occurring by chance (for example, having high correlation and thus likely to be related).

Usage notes

• This word may be ambiguous in some situations. In formal writing, care should be taken with comments such as "the difference is significant," because it is not clear without contextual clues whether significant modifies the fact that there is a difference ("notable"), or the difference itself ("large in number or amount"). In some such situations, large and other synonyms may be used in its place.

Synonyms

• important

Antonyms

• insignificant
• ignorable
• negligible
• slight

Related terms

• significance
• significand
• significant other
• signify

Translations

Noun

significant (plural significants)

1. That which has significance; a sign; a token; a symbol.
   • a. 1850, William Wordsworth, The Egyptian Maid

     And in my glass significants there are

References

significant in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Catalan

Verb

significant

1. present participle of significar

Latin

Verb

significant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of signific?

English

Etymology

From Middle English vital, from Old French vital, from Latin v?t?lis (“of life, life-giving”), from v?ta (“life”), from v?v? (“I live”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: v?'t?l, IPA^(key): /?va?t?l/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?va?t??l/
• Rhymes: -a?t?l

Adjective

vital (comparative more vital, superlative most vital)

1. Relating to, or characteristic of life.

   Synonym: lifely

2. Necessary to the continuation of life; being the seat of life; being that on which life depends.
3. Invigorating or life-giving.
4. Necessary to continued existence.

5. Relating to the recording of life events.

6. Very important.

   Synonyms: crucial, necessary, significant; see also Thesaurus:important
7. Containing life; living.

   Synonyms: extant, live, kicking; see also Thesaurus:alive
8. Capable of living; in a state to live; viable.

Derived terms

Related terms

Antonyms

• mortal

Translations

Further reading

• vital in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• vital in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vitalis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /vi?tal/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /bi?tal/

Adjective

vital (masculine and feminine plural vitals)

1. vital

Related terms

• vida
• vitalitat

French

Etymology

From Old French vital, from Latin v?t?lis (“of life, life-giving”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vi.tal/
• Homophones: vitale, vitales

Adjective

vital (feminine singular vitale, masculine plural vitaux, feminine plural vitales)

1. vital

Related terms

• vitalité
• vie

Further reading

• “vital” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Galician

Etymology

From Latin v?t?lis (“of life, life-giving”).

Adjective

vital m or f (plural vitais)

1. vital (relating to, or characteristic of life)
2. vital, important, necessary

Related terms

• vida
• vitalidade

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin v?t?lis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vi?ta?l/
• Rhymes: -a?l

Adjective

vital (comparative vitaler, superlative am vitalsten)

1. lively; hale; vigorous
2. (rather rare, formal) vital (necessary to, or characteristic of life)

Declension

Synonyms

• (lively): lebhaft; markig; rüstig; voller Leben
• (vital): lebenswichtig; Lebens-

Interlingua

Adjective

vital (not comparable)

1. vital

Related terms

• vita

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vitalis.

Adjective

vital (neuter singular vitalt, definite singular and plural vitale)

1. vital

References

• “vital” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vitalis.

Adjective

vital (neuter singular vitalt, definite singular and plural vitale)

1. vital

References

• “vital” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin vitalis.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /vi.?taw/

Adjective

vital m or f (plural vitais, comparable)

1. vital (relating to, or characteristic of life)
2. vital (necessary to the continuation of life)
3. vital (very important)

   Synonyms: crucial, fundamental, essencial

Related terms

• vida
• vitalidade

Romanian

Etymology

From French vital, from Latin vitalis.

Adjective

vital m or n (feminine singular vital?, masculine plural vitali, feminine and neuter plural vitale)

1. vital

Declension

Related terms

• vitalitate

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin vitalis.

Adjective

vital (plural vitales)

1. vital

Derived terms

Related terms

• vitalidad
• vida

See also

• vivo