significato
/siɲ.ɲi.fiˈka.to/masculine
In Italian, 'meaning' is translated as significato.
significato is a masculine noun used to refer to the definition or connotation of a word.
Meaning: definition or connotation of a word (noun)
Which one should you use?
significato is used for the literal definition or semantic content of a word. In contrast, senso is often used for 'sense' in terms of logic, direction or a general feeling, such as in the phrase senso di colpa (guilt).
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of significato is significati.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has five syllables, with the stress on the 4th syllable. The IPA pronunciation is /siɲ.ɲi.fiˈka.to/.
Did you know?
- Italian uses significato in the legal phrase significato e intimato to describe the formal delivery of a legal notice. In this specific context, it refers to the act of notifying someone, not the definition of a word.
- The word senso, often used interchangeably with significato in casual speech, also means 'direction' in a traffic context. A 'one-way street' is called senso unico, literally meaning 'single sense'.
- The letter 'gn' in significato creates a palatal nasal sound that does not exist in standard English. It is similar to the 'ny' sound in the English word 'onion' or the 'ñ' in Spanish.
Examples in context
- Non ha alcun significato.It doesn't have any meaning.This sentence is useful for saying that something lacks any significato.Tatoeba #1921901 by Guybrush88, translation #1392384 by CM
- Qual è il significato di ciò?What is the meaning of this?This sentence is useful for asking for the significato of something.Tatoeba #3893815 by Guybrush88, translation #2247142 by Amastan
- Non ho capito il significato.I didn't get the meaning.This sentence is useful for expressing that you did not understand the significato.Tatoeba #4737661 by Guybrush88, translation #1327510 by CK
- Qual è il significato di questa parola?What is the meaning of this word?
- Il senso della vitaMeaning of life
- Cosa vuol dire questa parola?What does this word mean?
- Non capisco cosa si intende per 'ironia'I don't understand what is meant by 'irony'
- 120 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofia and Alessandro are discussing a poem in a library.
- SofiaAlessandro, conosci il significato di questo verso?Alessandro, do you know the meaning of this verse?
- AlessandroNo, Sofia, mi sembra molto oscuro.No, Sofia, it seems very obscure to me.
- SofiaForse il significato è legato alla natura.Perhaps the meaning is related to nature.
- AlessandroPotrebbe essere, cerchiamo insieme un commento.It could be, let's look for a commentary together.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “meaning” translations and entries significato, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
