INSIGNIFICANCE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does insignificance mean? 

• INSIGNIFICANCE (noun)
  The noun INSIGNIFICANCE has 1 sense:

1. the quality of having little or no significance

  Familiarity information: INSIGNIFICANCE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INSIGNIFICANCE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The quality of having little or no significance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("insignificance" is a kind of...):

unimportance (the quality of not being important or worthy of note)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "insignificance"):

meaninglessness (the quality of having no value or significance)

inconsequence (having no important effects or influence)

Antonym:

significance (the quality of being significant)

Derivation:

insignificant (of little importance or influence or power; of minor status)

insignificant (signifying nothing)

insignificant (devoid of importance, meaning, or force)

 Context examples 

Her days of insignificance and evil were over.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

Let us hope, therefore, that her being there may teach her her own insignificance.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

From him White Fang had learned much of his own insignificance; and from him he was now to learn much of the change and development that had taken place in himself.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

He had learned his part—all his parts, for he took every trifling one that could be united with the Butler, and began to be impatient to be acting; and every day thus unemployed was tending to increase his sense of the insignificance of all his parts together, and make him more ready to regret that some other play had not been chosen.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

He was giving orders for a toothpick-case for himself, and till its size, shape, and ornaments were determined, all of which, after examining and debating for a quarter of an hour over every toothpick-case in the shop, were finally arranged by his own inventive fancy, he had no leisure to bestow any other attention on the two ladies, than what was comprised in three or four very broad stares; a kind of notice which served to imprint on Elinor the remembrance of a person and face, of strong, natural, sterling insignificance, though adorned in the first style of fashion.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

In extent, it is a mere nothing; you would be surprised at its insignificance; and, as for improvement, there was very little for me to do—too little: I should like to have been busy much longer.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

With such rivals for the notice of the fair as Mr. Wickham and the officers, Mr. Collins seemed to sink into insignificance; to the young ladies he certainly was nothing; but he had still at intervals a kind listener in Mrs. Phillips, and was by her watchfulness, most abundantly supplied with coffee and muffin.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

My watchfulness has been effectual; and though I certainly should be a more interesting object to all my acquaintances were I distractedly in love with him, I cannot say that I regret my comparative insignificance.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)