signifier
Americannoun
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a person or thing that signifies.
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Semiotics. something, such as an arrangement of sounds or symbols, an object, or an action, which constitutes a pattern or unit, and which communicates meaning.
Etymology
Origin of signifier
Compare meaning
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“That sense of immediacy — and not imbuing something with outside signifiers of value — lets the fragile piece of paper speak for itself.”
From Los Angeles Times
And while those in the highest income range are more likely to be optimistic, being middle income or having a bachelor’s degree isn’t much of a signifier of optimism or pessimism.
For white authors and readers, Morrison argued, blackness has been more metaphoric than real, a signifier of certain behavioral expectations.
Bad Bunny’s signifiers were subtler, although some may not have contained the meaning people read into them.
From Salon
A statement from trust said it had already implemented a programme of "signifier change".
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.