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[ noun ] the message that is intended or expressed or signified
Synonyms Examples "what is the meaning of this sentence" "the significance of a red traffic light" "the signification of Chinese characters" "the import of his announcement was ambiguous" Used in print (Tristram P. Coffin, "Folklore in the American Twentieth...)The collector enjoys the contact with rural life ; he hunts folklore for the very `` field and stream '' reasons that many persons hunt game ; and only rarely is he acutely concerned with the meaning of what he has located . (Richard F. McLaughlin, et al., "A study of the...)The meaning of this variation in distribution of the bronchial_artery as found in the horse is not clear . (Joyce O. Hertzler, American Social Institutions;...)There is also the possibility , among higher religions , of experiencing consistent meaning in life and enjoying guidance and expansiveness . This something leads to a conception of an over-all Social Plan with a meaning interpretable in_terms_of ultimate ends ; for_example , a plan that fulfills the will of God , which advances the Kingdom_of_God , which involves social life as part of the Grand Design . Finally , it gives meaning to much social endeavor , and logic , consistency , and meaning to life . |
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[ noun ] the idea that is intended
Examples "What is the meaning of this proverb?" Used in print (William G. Pollard, Physicist and Christian....)As a result , although we still make use of this distinction , there is much confusion as_to the meaning of the basic terms employed . When the words are used , we are never sure which of the traditional meanings the user may have_in_mind , or to_what_extent his revisions and rejections of former understandings correspond to ours . We simply find ourselves in the position of having no means for inquiring into the structure and meaning of this range of our experience . (Frank Getlein and Harold C. Gardiner, S.J., Movies,...)The meaning of the word is quite physical , to_begin_with . (John Cheever, "The Brigadier and the Golf Widow,"...)It was the only meaning of the word that he had ever known . Related terms idea significance reference connotation undertone tenor reference mean |
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[ adjective ] rich in significance or implication
Synonyms Examples "a meaning look" "pregnant with meaning" Related terms |
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