Table of Contents
Definition of Significant Other
(noun) Term used to denote an individual who is important in one’s life.
Significant Other Pronunciation
Syllabification: sig·nif·i·cant oth·er
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /sig-nIf-i-kuhnt UHTH-uhr/
- British English – /sig-nIf-i-kuhnt UHTH-uh/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /səgˈnɪfɪkənt ˈʌðər/
- British English – /sɪgˈnɪfɪkənt ˈʌðə/
Usage Notes
- Plural: significant others
- Chiefly used to describe partners, but is also used for a variety of other individuals.
- Significant others are agents of socialization.
- The sociological definition of significant other varies from the general definition that refers to a romantic partner.
Additional Information
- Sex and Gender Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “significant” and “other” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
Works Consulted
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Cite the Definition of Significant Other
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2016. “significant other.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved September 13, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/significant-other/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
significant other. (2016). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/significant-other/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2016. “significant other.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed September 13, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/significant-other/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“significant other.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2016. Web. 13 Sep. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/significant-other/>.