signifier

noun

sig·​ni·​fi·​er ˈsig-nə-ˌfī(-ə)r How to pronounce signifier (audio)
1
: one that signifies
2
: a symbol, sound, or image (such as a word) that represents an underlying concept or meaning compare signified

Examples of signifier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Sadly, Netflix’s production throws out the baby of rational screenwriting with the bathwater of partisan signifiers. Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025 Parallels run like the train tracks Davis and the cinematographer Pierre H. L. Désir Jr. depict — first as signifiers of the Great Migration and later, as L tracks cross and clatter, evoking Malaika and Nico’s upending romantic dilemma. Lisa Kennedy, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025 Members wear 33 pins on their shirts or 33 studs in their ears as signifiers; others choose an Instagram handle that ends in the number. Justine Harman, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025 Sure, the movie eventually stumbles across a variety of recognizable genre signifiers (an ominous circle of mushrooms, a row of bushes that ward off local spirits, a puddle that shudders while the rest of the world lies still, etc.), but only after it’s set its terms on a more elemental level. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for signifier

Word History

First Known Use

1532, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of signifier was in 1532

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Cite this Entry

“Signifier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/signifier. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.

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