significantly
The new policy has significantly improved employee satisfaction.
The change had a large positive effect on how happy employees feel at work.
to an important or noticeable extent; in a way that is large or important enough to be noticed
The cost of living has increased significantly over the past year.
The rise in living expenses is large enough to be noticed by most people.
Her research has significantly contributed to our understanding of climate change.
Her work has made a major impact on what we know about climate change.
Used to emphasize the size or importance of a change, difference, or effect. Often appears in academic, business, or technical writing.
Collocations
Pro Tip
When to use 'significantly'
Use 'significantly' when you want to emphasize that a change or difference is large enough to be important or noticeable. It’s stronger than 'slightly' but less extreme than 'dramatically'.
Gold Rule
Avoid redundancy
Do not pair 'significantly' with words like 'very' or 'extremely'—it’s already an intensifier. Incorrect: 'very significantly'. Correct: 'significantly'.
Word Origin
From Latin 'significans' (present participle of 'significare' meaning 'to indicate'), from 'signum' (sign) + 'facere' (to make). The adverbial form '-ly' was added in Middle English.
Usage Notes
1. Avoid overusing 'significantly' in casual conversation; it can sound overly formal. 2. In statistics, 'significantly' often means 'statistically significant' (p-value < 0.05). 3. Do not confuse with 'significant' (adjective) which describes something important or large.