Describing Significance: English Vocabulary List

playing a crucial role or serving as a key point of reference

"This is a pivotal moment."

"The scientist's discovery was pivotal to the development of the vaccine and millions of lives have been saved as a result of her work."

signifying a matter of deep concern

"The news is grave."

"The doctor had a grave expression on his face when he delivered the diagnosis and the patient knew that the news was not good."

having significant or central importance

"The focal point of the event."

"The focal point of the painting is the woman's face and the artist used bright colors to draw attention to her eyes."

holding the most power, importance, or influence

"Her career is ascendant."

"The young politician's career is ascendant and many people believe that she will become the next prime minister of the country."

highly significant or impactful

"A momentous decision was made."

"The signing of the peace treaty was a momentous occasion and leaders from all over the world gathered to witness the historic event."

surpassing others in quality, distinction, or importance

"He is a preeminent leader."

"The university hired a preeminent scholar to lead the research department and his reputation attracted funding from many international sources."

having a strong influence on future developments, ideas, or work

"A seminal study was published."

"The scientist published a seminal paper that changed the way biologists think about evolution and his ideas are still debated today."

having little significance

"Avoid petty arguments."

"The manager criticized the employee for petty reasons like arriving two minutes late and the workers felt that he was being unfair."

insignificant or of little importance

"A piffling sum of money."

"The company offered a piffling settlement that would not even cover the cost of repairing the damage so the customer decided to sue them."

small, unimportant, or not worth much attention

"A piddling amount of effort."

"The intern was paid a piddling wage that barely covered his bus fare and he had to eat ramen noodles for every meal."

beyond what is necessary or required

"Remove superfluous words."

"The extra paragraph in the essay was superfluous and the teacher told the student to remove it because it did not add any value."

considered to be of small importance or value

"Don't sweat picayune things."

"The committee spent hours arguing over picayune details like the color of the logo while ignoring the much more important budget issues."

outstanding or excellent in quality or performance

"A stellar achievement was made."

"The actor gave a stellar performance in the leading role and critics are already predicting that he will win an Academy Award for his work."

not relevant or significant to the current situation, discussion, etc.

"The detail is immaterial."

"The witness's testimony was immaterial to the case because it did not provide any evidence about whether the defendant had committed the crime."

easily replaced or sacrificed without significant loss or consequence, indicating a lack of value

"The soldiers were expendable."

"The manager treated the temporary workers as expendable and he fired them without hesitation whenever the budget needed to be cut."

having a lack of depth or concern for serious matters

"A frivolous expenditure was made."

"The lawsuit was frivolous and the judge dismissed it immediately because the plaintiff had no real evidence to support her claims."