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Literary notes about Significant (AI summary)

The word "significant" often serves as a literary device to imbue both actions and ideas with layers of importance. It can denote a moral or symbolic weight, such as when a character’s glance or gesture hints at unsaid truths [1][2][3], or it might flag a moment of historical or thematic gravity—for instance, marking a turning point in belief systems or cultural shifts [4][5][6]. At times, it functions to underscore differences or changes, whether in narrative structure, character development, or even in the subtleties of a design, hinting at details that demand closer attention [7][8][9]. In each use, "significant" elevates a detail from the ordinary to the emblematic, deepening the reader's engagement with the text.
  1. “Borís, come here,” said she with a sly and significant look.
    — from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy
  2. I don’t only manage my own affairs, but other people’s too,” he said, with a significant expression.
    — from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy
  3. Prince Vasíli gave Pierre a significant look.
    — from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy
  4. The difference between Puritanism and Catholicism is not about whether some priestly word or gesture is significant and sacred.
    — from What's Wrong with the World by G. K. Chesterton
  5. The Norman Conquest (1066) marks a highly significant date in the history of our language.
    — from An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises by Frank Edgar Farley and George Lyman Kittredge
  6. Of these the Social Contract , by far the most significant, is the latest in date.
    — from The Social Contract & Discourses by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  7. Significant differences between the two will be noted, however.
    — from Filipino Popular Tales
  8. The two pairs of cabinetmaker's dividers illustrated in figures 15 and 16 suggest significant changes in the design of a basic tool.
    — from Woodworking Tools 1600-1900 by Peter C. Welsh
  9. It set forth Laura’s threats, but there was a significant addition to it, which the newspaper report did not have.
    — from The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner

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