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# meaningful

adjective (meaningful, more meaningful, most meaningful)

«meaningful» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Having a clear meaning or making sense: «a meaningful sentence». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/meaningful/#m1)
2. Important, serious or valuable to someone: «a meaningful friendship», «a meaningful job». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/meaningful/#m2)
3. Showing a hidden feeling without words: «a meaningful look». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/meaningful/#m3)
4. (maths, science) Big or real enough to matter, not just chance: «a meaningful difference». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/meaningful/#m4)

### In the lessons

In English lessons a meaningful sentence makes sense; a jumble of words is not meaningful. In everyday life, a meaningful gift or chat is one that matters. In stories, «a meaningful look» tells the reader two characters share a secret thought. In science and maths, a «meaningful difference» means the result is big enough to trust, not just luck. Phrases: «meaningful look», «meaningful conversation», «make it meaningful».

### Examples

- Volunteering at the food bank felt really meaningful. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/meaningful/#x1)
- Mum gave Dad a meaningful look, and he stopped talking. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/meaningful/#x2)
- Put the words in order to make a meaningful sentence. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/meaningful/#x3)
- We had a meaningful talk about being kind. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/meaningful/#x4)
- A small difference of 1 cm is not meaningful when we measure with a ruler to the nearest cm. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/meaningful/#x5)
- Her grandfather's watch is very meaningful to her. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/meaningful/#x6)
- The teacher wants our feedback to be meaningful, not just «good job». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/meaningful/#x7)
- Meaningful work helps people feel proud. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/meaningful/#x8)
- He said nothing, but he exchanged a meaningful glance with the dragon, and everyone went home to tea. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/meaningful/#x9)

### Note

Adjective; adverb «meaningfully». Opposite: «meaningless». Spelling: meaning + ful (one l). In maths/science problems, a meaningful answer has sensible units and size – a 50 m tall child is not a meaningful answer.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «meaningful» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/meaningful/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«meaningful» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/meaningful.html) on Mova free.