meaningfully
/ˈmiːnɪŋfəli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmiːnɪŋfəli/ (ame, ipa) · /-fəlē/ (ame, mw)
meaningfully — adverb
1. by using a look, gesture, or pause to show what you are thinking or feeling, ins
by using a look, gesture, or pause to show what you are thinking or feeling, instead of saying it directly
Diego raised his eyebrows meaningfully when the boss walked into the room.
collocation: raise (eyebrows) meaningfully
During the meeting, Mei glanced meaningfully at her watch to remind her colleague to hurry.
The teacher paused meaningfully after the student's answer, waiting for the class to notice the mistake.
Kwame squeezed Zola's hand meaningfully to show his support without saying a word.
Ananya cleared her throat meaningfully, and everyone stopped talking immediately.
- suggestively
stronger hint of something improper or secret
- knowingly
shares the idea of communicating awareness without words, but implies shared understanding
- significantly
broader — can also mean 'in an important way'
用法筆記
Common with verbs of looking, gesturing, or making sounds (glance, pause, nod, clear one's throat, raise one's eyebrows).
常見錯誤
2. in a way that your words or actions clearly express a recognizable idea, rather
in a way that your words or actions clearly express a recognizable idea, rather than being random or empty
After the accident, Vikram could not speak meaningfully for several weeks.
collocation: speak meaningfully (ability to produce coherent speech)
The toddlers finally started building meaningfully when their blocks formed a recognizable shape.
The translator made sure that every sentence was rendered meaningfully in the target language.
After the lecture, Sophie could discuss the theory meaningfully in her own words.
Elena smiled and nodded throughout the conversation, but she did not contribute meaningfully.
- coherently
focuses on logical connection between ideas
- intelligibly
focuses on being understandable to others
- meaninglessly
without any clear purpose or intended message
- incoherently
in a way that is difficult to follow or understand
常見錯誤
3. in a way that has real value, purpose, or impact — not just as a formality or wi
in a way that has real value, purpose, or impact — not just as a formality or without noticeable effect
Volunteering at the shelter allowed Kim to contribute meaningfully to her community.
collocation: contribute meaningfully
The new policy did not change working conditions meaningfully for most employees.
collocation: change meaningfully (in negative construction)
Omar's research has meaningfully advanced our understanding of ocean pollution.
Small changes in daily habits can meaningfully improve your health over time.
The government's funding reduced homelessness meaningfully, but more money was still needed.
- substantially
focuses on the size or degree of change
- significantly
more common; emphasizes that the effect is large enough to matter
- importantly
focuses on relevance rather than size of change
- constructively
focuses on useful contribution, often in work contexts
- insignificantly
in a way that does not matter or is too small to notice
- trivially
in a way that is unimportant or of little value
用法筆記
Frequently used in negative or hedging contexts (not meaningfully, barely meaningfully, hardly meaningfully) to suggest a change was too small to matter.