Word for “Significant enough to make a difference”












20














I wish to know what could be a one word or phrase synonym for the term 'Significant enough to make a difference'.



Till now I thought that the term 'statistically significant' meant that it's significant enough that it makes a difference but that doesn't mean that it's actually very significant. A quick Google search suggests that it's not what I thought.



I couldn't think of a better word/s that I can put in the sentence




"We need to find results that are ______. ( Significant enough to make
a difference)."




Thanks in advance for your suggestions.










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  • 79




    I think the word is significant. If it makes no difference, then it's insignificant. Or perhaps I don't understand what you mean.
    – michael.hor257k
    Jan 1 at 20:32






  • 10




    @michael.hor257k: I thought the same. A bit like "What's a word for something that's so unique that it's the only one of its kind?" (-:
    – hippietrail
    Jan 2 at 1:35






  • 10




    @Abhioxic No, I am afraid I do not understand. If the word fits your example but not your actual situation, then provide a better-fitting example. --- Note that there are 15 answers already - which is a symptom of your question being too broad or unclear.
    – michael.hor257k
    2 days ago








  • 5




    What is wrong with just keeping the phrase in it's entirety? I do not understand the benefit of replacing a pretty clear phrase with a single word that is not as clear.
    – Michael J.
    2 days ago






  • 10




    The problem is that "statistically significant" has a very precise technical meaning in statistics (which context the OP's question presupposes). And this technical meaning is quite different from the everyday meaning of "significant". Even tiny, completely irrelevant effects can be clearly statistically significant, as long as they can be confidently asserted not to be zero. This is an enormously frequent confusion in medicine, psychology and a host of other disciplines. Unfortunately, the "statistically" is often dropped.
    – Stephan Kolassa
    2 days ago


















20














I wish to know what could be a one word or phrase synonym for the term 'Significant enough to make a difference'.



Till now I thought that the term 'statistically significant' meant that it's significant enough that it makes a difference but that doesn't mean that it's actually very significant. A quick Google search suggests that it's not what I thought.



I couldn't think of a better word/s that I can put in the sentence




"We need to find results that are ______. ( Significant enough to make
a difference)."




Thanks in advance for your suggestions.










share|improve this question









New contributor




Abhioxic is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 79




    I think the word is significant. If it makes no difference, then it's insignificant. Or perhaps I don't understand what you mean.
    – michael.hor257k
    Jan 1 at 20:32






  • 10




    @michael.hor257k: I thought the same. A bit like "What's a word for something that's so unique that it's the only one of its kind?" (-:
    – hippietrail
    Jan 2 at 1:35






  • 10




    @Abhioxic No, I am afraid I do not understand. If the word fits your example but not your actual situation, then provide a better-fitting example. --- Note that there are 15 answers already - which is a symptom of your question being too broad or unclear.
    – michael.hor257k
    2 days ago








  • 5




    What is wrong with just keeping the phrase in it's entirety? I do not understand the benefit of replacing a pretty clear phrase with a single word that is not as clear.
    – Michael J.
    2 days ago






  • 10




    The problem is that "statistically significant" has a very precise technical meaning in statistics (which context the OP's question presupposes). And this technical meaning is quite different from the everyday meaning of "significant". Even tiny, completely irrelevant effects can be clearly statistically significant, as long as they can be confidently asserted not to be zero. This is an enormously frequent confusion in medicine, psychology and a host of other disciplines. Unfortunately, the "statistically" is often dropped.
    – Stephan Kolassa
    2 days ago
















20












20








20


4





I wish to know what could be a one word or phrase synonym for the term 'Significant enough to make a difference'.



Till now I thought that the term 'statistically significant' meant that it's significant enough that it makes a difference but that doesn't mean that it's actually very significant. A quick Google search suggests that it's not what I thought.



I couldn't think of a better word/s that I can put in the sentence




"We need to find results that are ______. ( Significant enough to make
a difference)."




Thanks in advance for your suggestions.










share|improve this question









New contributor




Abhioxic is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











I wish to know what could be a one word or phrase synonym for the term 'Significant enough to make a difference'.



Till now I thought that the term 'statistically significant' meant that it's significant enough that it makes a difference but that doesn't mean that it's actually very significant. A quick Google search suggests that it's not what I thought.



I couldn't think of a better word/s that I can put in the sentence




"We need to find results that are ______. ( Significant enough to make
a difference)."




Thanks in advance for your suggestions.







single-word-requests word-choice phrases phrase-requests






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edited 2 days ago









alwayslearning

25.8k63794




25.8k63794






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asked Jan 1 at 20:29









Abhioxic

20414




20414




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  • 79




    I think the word is significant. If it makes no difference, then it's insignificant. Or perhaps I don't understand what you mean.
    – michael.hor257k
    Jan 1 at 20:32






  • 10




    @michael.hor257k: I thought the same. A bit like "What's a word for something that's so unique that it's the only one of its kind?" (-:
    – hippietrail
    Jan 2 at 1:35






  • 10




    @Abhioxic No, I am afraid I do not understand. If the word fits your example but not your actual situation, then provide a better-fitting example. --- Note that there are 15 answers already - which is a symptom of your question being too broad or unclear.
    – michael.hor257k
    2 days ago








  • 5




    What is wrong with just keeping the phrase in it's entirety? I do not understand the benefit of replacing a pretty clear phrase with a single word that is not as clear.
    – Michael J.
    2 days ago






  • 10




    The problem is that "statistically significant" has a very precise technical meaning in statistics (which context the OP's question presupposes). And this technical meaning is quite different from the everyday meaning of "significant". Even tiny, completely irrelevant effects can be clearly statistically significant, as long as they can be confidently asserted not to be zero. This is an enormously frequent confusion in medicine, psychology and a host of other disciplines. Unfortunately, the "statistically" is often dropped.
    – Stephan Kolassa
    2 days ago
















  • 79




    I think the word is significant. If it makes no difference, then it's insignificant. Or perhaps I don't understand what you mean.
    – michael.hor257k
    Jan 1 at 20:32






  • 10




    @michael.hor257k: I thought the same. A bit like "What's a word for something that's so unique that it's the only one of its kind?" (-:
    – hippietrail
    Jan 2 at 1:35






  • 10




    @Abhioxic No, I am afraid I do not understand. If the word fits your example but not your actual situation, then provide a better-fitting example. --- Note that there are 15 answers already - which is a symptom of your question being too broad or unclear.
    – michael.hor257k
    2 days ago








  • 5




    What is wrong with just keeping the phrase in it's entirety? I do not understand the benefit of replacing a pretty clear phrase with a single word that is not as clear.
    – Michael J.
    2 days ago






  • 10




    The problem is that "statistically significant" has a very precise technical meaning in statistics (which context the OP's question presupposes). And this technical meaning is quite different from the everyday meaning of "significant". Even tiny, completely irrelevant effects can be clearly statistically significant, as long as they can be confidently asserted not to be zero. This is an enormously frequent confusion in medicine, psychology and a host of other disciplines. Unfortunately, the "statistically" is often dropped.
    – Stephan Kolassa
    2 days ago










79




79




I think the word is significant. If it makes no difference, then it's insignificant. Or perhaps I don't understand what you mean.
– michael.hor257k
Jan 1 at 20:32




I think the word is significant. If it makes no difference, then it's insignificant. Or perhaps I don't understand what you mean.
– michael.hor257k
Jan 1 at 20:32




10




10




@michael.hor257k: I thought the same. A bit like "What's a word for something that's so unique that it's the only one of its kind?" (-:
– hippietrail
Jan 2 at 1:35




@michael.hor257k: I thought the same. A bit like "What's a word for something that's so unique that it's the only one of its kind?" (-:
– hippietrail
Jan 2 at 1:35




10




10




@Abhioxic No, I am afraid I do not understand. If the word fits your example but not your actual situation, then provide a better-fitting example. --- Note that there are 15 answers already - which is a symptom of your question being too broad or unclear.
– michael.hor257k
2 days ago






@Abhioxic No, I am afraid I do not understand. If the word fits your example but not your actual situation, then provide a better-fitting example. --- Note that there are 15 answers already - which is a symptom of your question being too broad or unclear.
– michael.hor257k
2 days ago






5




5




What is wrong with just keeping the phrase in it's entirety? I do not understand the benefit of replacing a pretty clear phrase with a single word that is not as clear.
– Michael J.
2 days ago




What is wrong with just keeping the phrase in it's entirety? I do not understand the benefit of replacing a pretty clear phrase with a single word that is not as clear.
– Michael J.
2 days ago




10




10




The problem is that "statistically significant" has a very precise technical meaning in statistics (which context the OP's question presupposes). And this technical meaning is quite different from the everyday meaning of "significant". Even tiny, completely irrelevant effects can be clearly statistically significant, as long as they can be confidently asserted not to be zero. This is an enormously frequent confusion in medicine, psychology and a host of other disciplines. Unfortunately, the "statistically" is often dropped.
– Stephan Kolassa
2 days ago






The problem is that "statistically significant" has a very precise technical meaning in statistics (which context the OP's question presupposes). And this technical meaning is quite different from the everyday meaning of "significant". Even tiny, completely irrelevant effects can be clearly statistically significant, as long as they can be confidently asserted not to be zero. This is an enormously frequent confusion in medicine, psychology and a host of other disciplines. Unfortunately, the "statistically" is often dropped.
– Stephan Kolassa
2 days ago












30 Answers
30






active

oldest

votes


















47














A result is said to be meaningful when it has some real-world significance.




full of meaning, significance, purpose, or value; purposeful; significant:




Dictionary.com






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  • That's just a synonym for "significant" when used in the proper context.
    – Carl Witthoft
    15 hours ago










  • @CarlWitthoft Yes, and that makes sense. The term "significant" has a specific meaning in statistics, and using it twice here causes confusion, when one wants to say that a [statistically] significant results was not [meaningfully] significant. WIthout the bracket words the sentence makes no sense.
    – jimm101
    10 hours ago



















40














In some legal and financial contexts, an option is material. That would mean an event/action/adjustment that is likely to affect some important outcome. For instance "A tax rate increase of 10% would make a material difference to our profitability."



Merriam-Webster:




... having real importance or great consequences




For the accounting term: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materiality_(auditing)






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  • 1




    Matt, I'd like to upvote this answer, but it is currently lacking the kind of evidence (such as a published definition of material, linked to the source) that would distinguish an authoritative answer from unsubstantiated personal opinion. You can edit your answer to add this extra information. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
    – Chappo
    Jan 2 at 1:41










  • I don't know a formal standard to cite, but the wording of every accounting opinion I have read, on hundreds of financial statements, is that e.g. the statements opined on "... present fairly, in all material respects, XYZ company's consolidated balance sheet as of and results of operations for the years ended Dec. 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015" and also that internal control was judged adequate "to prevent, or detect and correct on a timely basis, any material misstatement".
    – dave_thompson_085
    Jan 2 at 5:04








  • 1




    You could use a definition from a legal dictionary. Here's Black's: thelawdictionary.org/material and a more modern take: lectlaw.com/def2/m021.htm
    – 1006a
    Jan 2 at 5:42






  • 2




    I'm a professional auditor. I looked through the key guidance I use regularly and it doesn't include a definition of "material" - it's assumed professional knowledge. The GAO's Yellow Book (gao.gov/assets/700/693136.pdf) and AICPA standard on materiality (aicpa.org/Research/Standards/AuditAttest/DownloadableDocuments/…) contain numerous examples.
    – indigochild
    yesterday



















31














You should consider nontrivial which means something which is not trivial (and hence should not be ignored).




"We need to find results that are nontrivial."




ODO:




nontrivial
ADJECTIVE
1 Not trivial; significant.



‘In the second half of the eighteenth century, a significant share of
rural households in southern England suffered non-trivial declines in
real income.’



trivial
ADJECTIVE
1 Of little value or importance.



‘Very often qualitative studies seem to be full of apparently trivial
details.’







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  • 6




    While I upvoted several others, I think this is the best answer. All of the others have at least suggestions of a truly large or significant effect that could imply more than is meant. "Nontrivial" precisely means something large enough that it cannot be disregarded in that context without any further implications about how large. Non-negligible would also be an almost perfect synonym, but its longer and requires a hyphenated phrase.
    – TimothyAWiseman
    2 days ago






  • 1




    I think this is not a good suggestion, for two reasons. 1) "nontrivial" and "trivial" have exact meaning in mathematics, e.g. nontrivial solution is the one which is not all zeros zero in set of linear equation, and trivial is x1=x2=,...=xn=0. 2) Possibly as spillover to mathematics, trivial also means easily obtained or obvious, and nontrivial can be understood as difficult to obtain (regardless of its impact).
    – jpers
    2 days ago










  • I was going to answer with this if no one else got to it first for the same reasons TimothyAWiseman mentioned; definitely the best answer here.
    – kayleeFrye_onDeck
    2 days ago



















23














Substantial as in "a substantial salary" or "a substantial amount" fits the bill.




substantial - (adjective) significantly great MW





  • The party has just lost office and with it a substantial number of seats.¹

  • That is a very substantial improvement in the present situation.¹

  • She inherited a substantial fortune from her grandmother.²

  • All the evidence points to a substantial rise in traffic over the next few years.²






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  • 3




    Substantial indicates "considerable importance, size, or worth". IMO that's a "meaningful" (noteworthy, or non-negligible) difference. E.g., a pay raise that is noteworthy, meaningful, or impactful is not necessarily substantial (nor is it necessarily significant). But, it may still be enough to "make a difference".
    – The AI Architect
    Jan 2 at 3:20



















16














Non-negligible works well in certain contexts when discussing a variable that is so not so insignificant that it can be neglected.



The definition of negligible is:




so small, trifling, or unimportant that it may safely be neglected or disregarded




Non-negligible is, of course, the opposite.






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    16














    "Significant"



    The relevant Oxford English Dictionary meaning of the word is "Sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy; consequential, influential."






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    • 4




      See my comment on why this is not helpful in a context where "significant" may be mistaken for "statistically significant".
      – Stephan Kolassa
      2 days ago






    • 2




      Simon, I don't think this answer is adequate given the issue identified by the OP regarding "statistically significant". It's incumbent on you to explain how "We need to find results that are significant" avoids a narrowly statistical interpretation. Something that is statistically significant may not make any difference at all, since "make a difference" implies causality whereas "significant" might merely relate to a correlation.
      – Chappo
      2 days ago








    • 1




      Does this answer add anything to the comment by @michael.hor257k? The comment's being very highly upvoted indicated that it may well deserve to be developed into an answer, but, given that the OP is already well familiar with this word, the answer needs to explain why it is misguided to look for a different one.
      – jsw29
      yesterday



















    15














    To directly match “Significant enough to make a difference” I’d suggest impactful:




    Oxford Dictionaries



    Impactful - Having a major impact or effect.




    For the specific context you’ve provided, though, I think noteworthy fits the sentence much better:




    Oxford Dictionaries



    Noteworthy - Worth paying attention to; interesting or significant.







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    • 1




      Impactful was the word that came to my mind when I read the question. To me 'Noteworthy' doesn't carry the same strength (For example, a minor uptick in the stock market may be noteworthy but not impactful).
      – Balaz2ta
      Jan 2 at 2:43












    • OMG that is one but-tugly word. Please don't let people use it!
      – Carl Witthoft
      15 hours ago



















    13














    Because you mention statistical significance, I would like to discuss the usage in a technical context.



    Statistical significance essentially means that an observed difference or change is unlikely to have occurred by chance, and hence that it very probably is indicative of some real phenomenon. As you have discovered, this does not necessarily mean that the change or difference is of any importance. Even extremely small changes may be statistically significant if the measurement process is very precise.



    Sometimes, this creates the requirement of distinguishing between "differences that are statistically significant, but inconsequential" and "differences that are statistically significant, and are also large enough to have some practical impact." Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a single word or short phrase that is universally understood to have this technical meaning.



    In my own field, we say "technically significant" to mean "of practical importance, whether or not it is also statistically significant." However I am aware of other fields that use the same phrase to mean almost the opposite: "statistically significant but unimportant."



    So in a technical context, it seems that if there is any risk of confusion it is best to clearly state what you mean instead of trying to form a compact phrase.






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    • 4




      (+1) "Practical significance" is I think most often used in distinction to (mere) "statistical significance": google.com/search?q="Practical+significance".
      – Scortchi
      2 days ago






    • 8




      Another option is a context-specific adverb: e.g. "The rise in cholesterol levels was statistically, but not physiologically, significant."
      – Scortchi
      2 days ago





















    7














    I'd stick with 'significant'.



    "We need to find results that are significant".



    "Enough to make a difference" is exactly what "significant" MEANS. 'Significant enough to make a difference' is tautology.



    I'd avoid 'statistically significant' outside a mathematical context. As people have mentioned, that means something special.






    share|improve this answer



















    • 4




      See my comment on why this is not helpful in a context where "significant" may be mistaken for "statistically significant".
      – Stephan Kolassa
      2 days ago



















    7














    The accepted term in medicine and psychology is "clinically significant", as compared to statistical significance.




    In medicine and psychology, clinical significance is the practical importance of a treatment effect—whether it has a real genuine, palpable, noticeable effect on daily life.




    Note that this usage is endorsed by the American Psychological Association (APA) per Vacha-Haase et al. (2000). I do not know of any comparable standards in medicine (being a somewhat psychology-affiliated statistician), but these may be findable.






    share|improve this answer



















    • 3




      Not an antonym. Insulin treatment is clinically significant and statistically significant.
      – Phil Frost
      2 days ago










    • palpable (results)
      – Mazura
      2 days ago










    • Yes, this is not at all an antonym to statistical significance, in either psychology or medicine. Statistical significance is necessary but not sufficient for clinical significance. Statistical significance is whether an observed difference is likely to be due to chance; clinical significance is about the size of that difference, the effect size. You cannot have a clinically significant effect size if there is no effect
      – De Novo
      2 days ago








    • 1




      Good points. I changed "antonym" to "compared to".
      – Stephan Kolassa
      yesterday



















    3














    Salient. In tech it is common to specify salient characteristics when requesting quotes from vendors.






    share|improve this answer





















    • This is a good option. It indicates something is worth paying attention to but does not imply extreme importance.
      – barbecue
      2 days ago






    • 1




      You should link to a dictionary definition or other evidence to support your answer, and probably quote the meaning of the word in this usage from that source.
      – V2Blast
      2 days ago



















    3














    Considerable




    Considerable



    adjective



    notably large in size, amount, or extent.
    "a position of considerable influence"
    synonyms: sizable, substantial, appreciable, significant; More







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      3














      A simple word that conveys the meaning is to matter. Using your example:




      We need to find results that matter.




      According to dictionary.com the definition for the verb "to matter" is




      to be of importance; signify.




      Similary, if something is "no matter",




      it is unimportant; it makes no difference.







      share|improve this answer





























        1














        Most of the other answers provide a word that is much more than just significant enough to make a difference. I'd like to suggest a word that quite literally means "[just] significant enough to make a difference."



        Adequate




        sufficient for a specific need or requirement



        good enough




        You didn't note speicifally how much of a difference had to be made, so I chose a word that covered the least amount possible to meet the needs of your test case.






        share|improve this answer





























          1














          Notable comes to mind. From the OED:




          1. Worthy or deserving of attention, esp. on account of excellence, value, or importance; significant in size or amount; noteworthy, remarkable, striking, signal, eminent.




          While this is similar to "Noteworthy" (as talked about in this answer), notable tends to emphasize the greatness of a thing. For more on the subtle but noteworthy differences, see this thread.






          share|improve this answer





























            1














            One that's used in British English (esp. sports reporting) is telling. Idiomatically, a player whose impact on a match is significant enough to make a difference may be said to make a telling contribution.



            See here for example usage.






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            • Seems reasonable to me, why the downvote?
              – barbecue
              2 days ago



















            1














            From comments it looks like this is being used in communications with clients. Without knowing more about those clients and how they might interpret terminology it's difficult to come up with an ideal term, but here are a few possible scenarios.



            If you are talking about features or attributes of something which are important enough that they should be paid attention to in a particular environment or context, relevant can be used.



            Relevant in this context means a thing is of enough significance that it should not be disregarded, but it does not convey extreme importance. If something is relevant, it needs to be taken into account, but may not be the most important aspect.




            Example: "Pages two and three of the instructions are relevant to
            customers in Hawaii only."




            Noticeable is similar in that it indicates a difference worthy of paying attention to, but not in a dramatic or extreme manner, and is often used to describe a change in a measurement or quantity.




            Example: "There was a noticeable improvement in gas mileage after I
            replaced my tires."




            This indicates the improvement was enough to be worth considering, but it does not convey an extreme or surprising amount of improvement.



            If you want to convey that the significance is just enough to achieve a specific threshold and no more, then sufficient will work.




            Example: "My exam score was sufficient to ensure I got a B in the
            class." The implication is that the score was just high enough, not
            exceptional or perfect.







            share|improve this answer





























              1














              Not only do you want statistically significant results, you want results that are effectual.




              Random House dictionary




              effectual: producing or capable of producing an intended effect; adequate





              With a sufficiently large sample size, even trivially small effects can be measured with statistical significance. But it sounds like you want the ones that result in a larger effect—that is, the most effectual.






              share|improve this answer





























                1














                Substantial has already been suggested, but I would suggest that substantive would be a better choice. From Merriam-Webster:




                : having substance : involving matters of major or practical importance to all concerned




                As already noted on substantial, this depends on exactly what you want to say. An alternative would be impactful which seems to better fit what you want than meaningful. Meaningful would more normally be used when there are a variety of ways of measuring meaning. Impactful is more singular. It is full of one impact, not a variety of meanings.



                I would find it better than substantial, because it relates more to the importance rather than the size in normal usage. It's also more of a binary choice. Something is either substantive or not. Substantial is more relative and depends more on context. Substantive is generally used in ways that are not modified by words like rather or very.



                Substantive has fewer meanings than material, which is a reasonable synonym. Thus, I would prefer it as being more obvious about what was meant.






                share|improve this answer





























                  0














                  I would suggest conclusive



                  Oxford Dictionary




                  conclusive



                  ADJECTIVE



                  1 (of evidence or argument) having or likely to have the effect of proving a case; decisive.



                  ‘conclusive evidence’



                  ‘the findings were by no means conclusive’







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                  • 1




                    No. 'Conclusive' wins the argument. 'Significant' merely affects it.
                    – Laurence Payne
                    2 days ago



















                  0














                  My suggestion is decisive.




                  Oxford Dictionaries:



                  Decisive

                  Settling an issue; producing a definite result.







                  share|improve this answer































                    0














                    Statisticians distinguish between significance and effect size. While these two things tend to run together, results can be highly significant but show a small effect, while other results can show a big effect yet still be insignificant. Typically a very big sample can yield the former, while a very small sample often results in the latter.



                    Thus your proposed sentence might well be worded as



                    "We need to find results that show a significant large effect."



                    You need significance because insignificant results are of dubious value, even if they look impressive. I do not know a one-word adjective that means exactly "showing a large effect". The nearest I can think of is the word just used—impressive—but it is somewhat imprecise as to just what it describes.






                    share|improve this answer





























                      0














                      "Important".



                      A current dictionary defines that as, "of great significance or value", but its earlier meaning (and the way I understand it) is "being of consequence" -- see also one of the meanings of the noun "import", which is given as, "the implicit meaning or significance of something".






                      share|improve this answer





























                        0















                        "We need to find results that are valid.




                        valid TFD




                        sound; just; well-founded.



                        producing the desired result; effective: a valid remedy.



                        having force, weight, or cogency; authoritative.







                        share|improve this answer





























                          0














                          Altohugh you cite statistics, it is not completely clear if the context in which you would put the word you seek is some scientific or technical paper.



                          Assuming the context is not so specific, I think a common word that may be interpreted, in general contexts, as "something more than significant", is remarkable.




                          We need to find results that are remarkable.







                          share|improve this answer





























                            -1














                            We need to find results that are unequivocal.



                            unequivocal results as in




                            Given this possible outcome, it is clearly essential that if the diagnosis is to rest only on the result of the screening test, this should provide accurate and unequivocal results.




                            Collins Dictionary




                            unequivocal

                            not ambiguous; plain




                            Merriam-Webster




                            leaving no doubt : CLEAR, UNAMBIGUOUS




                            Oxford Dictionaries




                            Leaving no doubt; unambiguous.



                            ‘Asked if either of those substances were relevant to the treatment of colic his answer is precise and unequivocal.’







                            share|improve this answer

















                            • 2




                              There are so many things that are significant, yet ambiguous.
                              – michael.hor257k
                              2 days ago












                            • @michael.hor257k I would use "unequivocal" to say that something is "enough to make a difference" In fact, the OP stresses that there's a "need to find" results that make a difference. This suggests urgency and reliability. If results are significant, noteworthy, non-trivial, etc. they could still be ambiguous, and inconclusive.
                              – Mari-Lou A
                              2 days ago












                            • If something is unequivocal, then it's not ambiguous (says so right there in the definitions you have quoted).
                              – michael.hor257k
                              2 days ago










                            • @michael.hor257k Which is why I suggest that unequivocal is probably more compelling than several others that have been offered.
                              – Mari-Lou A
                              2 days ago










                            • There are many terms offered here that suffer from the same flaw: they are much more "significant" that just significant.
                              – michael.hor257k
                              2 days ago



















                            -1














                            Consider: Groundbreaking




                            originating or pioneering a new endeavor, field of inquiry, or the like: Pasteur's groundbreaking work in bacteriology.




                            source






                            share|improve this answer





























                              -1














                              Another word which may work here is worthwhile (in the sense of worth considering).




                              "We need to find results that are worthwhile".




                              ODO:




                              worthwhile

                              (also worth one's while, worth while)
                              ADJECTIVE

                              Worth the time, money, or effort spent; of value or importance.



                              ‘Questions were thrown at me on a subject until I could give no more
                              worthwhile answers.’







                              share|improve this answer





























                                -2














                                Perhaps profound:




                                being or going far beneath what is superficial, external, or obvious:




                                Source






                                share|improve this answer





























                                  -2














                                  Compelling would be my choice in this case.






                                  share|improve this answer








                                  New contributor




                                  Hayes is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.














                                  • 3




                                    Hi Hayes, welcome to EL&U. This is certainly a compelling solution, but it's too short: the system has flagged it as "low-quality because of its length and content." An answer on EL&U is expected to be authoritative, detailed, and explain why it is correct. Can I suggest you edit your answer to provide a relevant published definition of compelling (linked to the source) and why you think it fits the sentence? For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
                                    – Chappo
                                    2 days ago










                                  protected by Community 2 days ago



                                  Thank you for your interest in this question.
                                  Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count).



                                  Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?














                                  30 Answers
                                  30






                                  active

                                  oldest

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                                  30 Answers
                                  30






                                  active

                                  oldest

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                                  active

                                  oldest

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                                  active

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                                  47














                                  A result is said to be meaningful when it has some real-world significance.




                                  full of meaning, significance, purpose, or value; purposeful; significant:




                                  Dictionary.com






                                  share|improve this answer





















                                  • That's just a synonym for "significant" when used in the proper context.
                                    – Carl Witthoft
                                    15 hours ago










                                  • @CarlWitthoft Yes, and that makes sense. The term "significant" has a specific meaning in statistics, and using it twice here causes confusion, when one wants to say that a [statistically] significant results was not [meaningfully] significant. WIthout the bracket words the sentence makes no sense.
                                    – jimm101
                                    10 hours ago
















                                  47














                                  A result is said to be meaningful when it has some real-world significance.




                                  full of meaning, significance, purpose, or value; purposeful; significant:




                                  Dictionary.com






                                  share|improve this answer





















                                  • That's just a synonym for "significant" when used in the proper context.
                                    – Carl Witthoft
                                    15 hours ago










                                  • @CarlWitthoft Yes, and that makes sense. The term "significant" has a specific meaning in statistics, and using it twice here causes confusion, when one wants to say that a [statistically] significant results was not [meaningfully] significant. WIthout the bracket words the sentence makes no sense.
                                    – jimm101
                                    10 hours ago














                                  47












                                  47








                                  47






                                  A result is said to be meaningful when it has some real-world significance.




                                  full of meaning, significance, purpose, or value; purposeful; significant:




                                  Dictionary.com






                                  share|improve this answer












                                  A result is said to be meaningful when it has some real-world significance.




                                  full of meaning, significance, purpose, or value; purposeful; significant:




                                  Dictionary.com







                                  share|improve this answer












                                  share|improve this answer



                                  share|improve this answer










                                  answered Jan 1 at 20:41









                                  jimm101

                                  7,25782039




                                  7,25782039












                                  • That's just a synonym for "significant" when used in the proper context.
                                    – Carl Witthoft
                                    15 hours ago










                                  • @CarlWitthoft Yes, and that makes sense. The term "significant" has a specific meaning in statistics, and using it twice here causes confusion, when one wants to say that a [statistically] significant results was not [meaningfully] significant. WIthout the bracket words the sentence makes no sense.
                                    – jimm101
                                    10 hours ago


















                                  • That's just a synonym for "significant" when used in the proper context.
                                    – Carl Witthoft
                                    15 hours ago










                                  • @CarlWitthoft Yes, and that makes sense. The term "significant" has a specific meaning in statistics, and using it twice here causes confusion, when one wants to say that a [statistically] significant results was not [meaningfully] significant. WIthout the bracket words the sentence makes no sense.
                                    – jimm101
                                    10 hours ago
















                                  That's just a synonym for "significant" when used in the proper context.
                                  – Carl Witthoft
                                  15 hours ago




                                  That's just a synonym for "significant" when used in the proper context.
                                  – Carl Witthoft
                                  15 hours ago












                                  @CarlWitthoft Yes, and that makes sense. The term "significant" has a specific meaning in statistics, and using it twice here causes confusion, when one wants to say that a [statistically] significant results was not [meaningfully] significant. WIthout the bracket words the sentence makes no sense.
                                  – jimm101
                                  10 hours ago




                                  @CarlWitthoft Yes, and that makes sense. The term "significant" has a specific meaning in statistics, and using it twice here causes confusion, when one wants to say that a [statistically] significant results was not [meaningfully] significant. WIthout the bracket words the sentence makes no sense.
                                  – jimm101
                                  10 hours ago













                                  40














                                  In some legal and financial contexts, an option is material. That would mean an event/action/adjustment that is likely to affect some important outcome. For instance "A tax rate increase of 10% would make a material difference to our profitability."



                                  Merriam-Webster:




                                  ... having real importance or great consequences




                                  For the accounting term: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materiality_(auditing)






                                  share|improve this answer



















                                  • 1




                                    Matt, I'd like to upvote this answer, but it is currently lacking the kind of evidence (such as a published definition of material, linked to the source) that would distinguish an authoritative answer from unsubstantiated personal opinion. You can edit your answer to add this extra information. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
                                    – Chappo
                                    Jan 2 at 1:41










                                  • I don't know a formal standard to cite, but the wording of every accounting opinion I have read, on hundreds of financial statements, is that e.g. the statements opined on "... present fairly, in all material respects, XYZ company's consolidated balance sheet as of and results of operations for the years ended Dec. 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015" and also that internal control was judged adequate "to prevent, or detect and correct on a timely basis, any material misstatement".
                                    – dave_thompson_085
                                    Jan 2 at 5:04








                                  • 1




                                    You could use a definition from a legal dictionary. Here's Black's: thelawdictionary.org/material and a more modern take: lectlaw.com/def2/m021.htm
                                    – 1006a
                                    Jan 2 at 5:42






                                  • 2




                                    I'm a professional auditor. I looked through the key guidance I use regularly and it doesn't include a definition of "material" - it's assumed professional knowledge. The GAO's Yellow Book (gao.gov/assets/700/693136.pdf) and AICPA standard on materiality (aicpa.org/Research/Standards/AuditAttest/DownloadableDocuments/…) contain numerous examples.
                                    – indigochild
                                    yesterday
















                                  40














                                  In some legal and financial contexts, an option is material. That would mean an event/action/adjustment that is likely to affect some important outcome. For instance "A tax rate increase of 10% would make a material difference to our profitability."



                                  Merriam-Webster:




                                  ... having real importance or great consequences




                                  For the accounting term: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materiality_(auditing)






                                  share|improve this answer



















                                  • 1




                                    Matt, I'd like to upvote this answer, but it is currently lacking the kind of evidence (such as a published definition of material, linked to the source) that would distinguish an authoritative answer from unsubstantiated personal opinion. You can edit your answer to add this extra information. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
                                    – Chappo
                                    Jan 2 at 1:41










                                  • I don't know a formal standard to cite, but the wording of every accounting opinion I have read, on hundreds of financial statements, is that e.g. the statements opined on "... present fairly, in all material respects, XYZ company's consolidated balance sheet as of and results of operations for the years ended Dec. 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015" and also that internal control was judged adequate "to prevent, or detect and correct on a timely basis, any material misstatement".
                                    – dave_thompson_085
                                    Jan 2 at 5:04








                                  • 1




                                    You could use a definition from a legal dictionary. Here's Black's: thelawdictionary.org/material and a more modern take: lectlaw.com/def2/m021.htm
                                    – 1006a
                                    Jan 2 at 5:42






                                  • 2




                                    I'm a professional auditor. I looked through the key guidance I use regularly and it doesn't include a definition of "material" - it's assumed professional knowledge. The GAO's Yellow Book (gao.gov/assets/700/693136.pdf) and AICPA standard on materiality (aicpa.org/Research/Standards/AuditAttest/DownloadableDocuments/…) contain numerous examples.
                                    – indigochild
                                    yesterday














                                  40












                                  40








                                  40






                                  In some legal and financial contexts, an option is material. That would mean an event/action/adjustment that is likely to affect some important outcome. For instance "A tax rate increase of 10% would make a material difference to our profitability."



                                  Merriam-Webster:




                                  ... having real importance or great consequences




                                  For the accounting term: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materiality_(auditing)






                                  share|improve this answer














                                  In some legal and financial contexts, an option is material. That would mean an event/action/adjustment that is likely to affect some important outcome. For instance "A tax rate increase of 10% would make a material difference to our profitability."



                                  Merriam-Webster:




                                  ... having real importance or great consequences




                                  For the accounting term: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materiality_(auditing)







                                  share|improve this answer














                                  share|improve this answer



                                  share|improve this answer








                                  edited yesterday









                                  James D

                                  693




                                  693










                                  answered Jan 2 at 0:24









                                  MattClarke

                                  54636




                                  54636








                                  • 1




                                    Matt, I'd like to upvote this answer, but it is currently lacking the kind of evidence (such as a published definition of material, linked to the source) that would distinguish an authoritative answer from unsubstantiated personal opinion. You can edit your answer to add this extra information. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
                                    – Chappo
                                    Jan 2 at 1:41










                                  • I don't know a formal standard to cite, but the wording of every accounting opinion I have read, on hundreds of financial statements, is that e.g. the statements opined on "... present fairly, in all material respects, XYZ company's consolidated balance sheet as of and results of operations for the years ended Dec. 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015" and also that internal control was judged adequate "to prevent, or detect and correct on a timely basis, any material misstatement".
                                    – dave_thompson_085
                                    Jan 2 at 5:04








                                  • 1




                                    You could use a definition from a legal dictionary. Here's Black's: thelawdictionary.org/material and a more modern take: lectlaw.com/def2/m021.htm
                                    – 1006a
                                    Jan 2 at 5:42






                                  • 2




                                    I'm a professional auditor. I looked through the key guidance I use regularly and it doesn't include a definition of "material" - it's assumed professional knowledge. The GAO's Yellow Book (gao.gov/assets/700/693136.pdf) and AICPA standard on materiality (aicpa.org/Research/Standards/AuditAttest/DownloadableDocuments/…) contain numerous examples.
                                    – indigochild
                                    yesterday














                                  • 1




                                    Matt, I'd like to upvote this answer, but it is currently lacking the kind of evidence (such as a published definition of material, linked to the source) that would distinguish an authoritative answer from unsubstantiated personal opinion. You can edit your answer to add this extra information. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
                                    – Chappo
                                    Jan 2 at 1:41










                                  • I don't know a formal standard to cite, but the wording of every accounting opinion I have read, on hundreds of financial statements, is that e.g. the statements opined on "... present fairly, in all material respects, XYZ company's consolidated balance sheet as of and results of operations for the years ended Dec. 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015" and also that internal control was judged adequate "to prevent, or detect and correct on a timely basis, any material misstatement".
                                    – dave_thompson_085
                                    Jan 2 at 5:04








                                  • 1




                                    You could use a definition from a legal dictionary. Here's Black's: thelawdictionary.org/material and a more modern take: lectlaw.com/def2/m021.htm
                                    – 1006a
                                    Jan 2 at 5:42






                                  • 2




                                    I'm a professional auditor. I looked through the key guidance I use regularly and it doesn't include a definition of "material" - it's assumed professional knowledge. The GAO's Yellow Book (gao.gov/assets/700/693136.pdf) and AICPA standard on materiality (aicpa.org/Research/Standards/AuditAttest/DownloadableDocuments/…) contain numerous examples.
                                    – indigochild
                                    yesterday








                                  1




                                  1




                                  Matt, I'd like to upvote this answer, but it is currently lacking the kind of evidence (such as a published definition of material, linked to the source) that would distinguish an authoritative answer from unsubstantiated personal opinion. You can edit your answer to add this extra information. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
                                  – Chappo
                                  Jan 2 at 1:41




                                  Matt, I'd like to upvote this answer, but it is currently lacking the kind of evidence (such as a published definition of material, linked to the source) that would distinguish an authoritative answer from unsubstantiated personal opinion. You can edit your answer to add this extra information. For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
                                  – Chappo
                                  Jan 2 at 1:41












                                  I don't know a formal standard to cite, but the wording of every accounting opinion I have read, on hundreds of financial statements, is that e.g. the statements opined on "... present fairly, in all material respects, XYZ company's consolidated balance sheet as of and results of operations for the years ended Dec. 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015" and also that internal control was judged adequate "to prevent, or detect and correct on a timely basis, any material misstatement".
                                  – dave_thompson_085
                                  Jan 2 at 5:04






                                  I don't know a formal standard to cite, but the wording of every accounting opinion I have read, on hundreds of financial statements, is that e.g. the statements opined on "... present fairly, in all material respects, XYZ company's consolidated balance sheet as of and results of operations for the years ended Dec. 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015" and also that internal control was judged adequate "to prevent, or detect and correct on a timely basis, any material misstatement".
                                  – dave_thompson_085
                                  Jan 2 at 5:04






                                  1




                                  1




                                  You could use a definition from a legal dictionary. Here's Black's: thelawdictionary.org/material and a more modern take: lectlaw.com/def2/m021.htm
                                  – 1006a
                                  Jan 2 at 5:42




                                  You could use a definition from a legal dictionary. Here's Black's: thelawdictionary.org/material and a more modern take: lectlaw.com/def2/m021.htm
                                  – 1006a
                                  Jan 2 at 5:42




                                  2




                                  2




                                  I'm a professional auditor. I looked through the key guidance I use regularly and it doesn't include a definition of "material" - it's assumed professional knowledge. The GAO's Yellow Book (gao.gov/assets/700/693136.pdf) and AICPA standard on materiality (aicpa.org/Research/Standards/AuditAttest/DownloadableDocuments/…) contain numerous examples.
                                  – indigochild
                                  yesterday




                                  I'm a professional auditor. I looked through the key guidance I use regularly and it doesn't include a definition of "material" - it's assumed professional knowledge. The GAO's Yellow Book (gao.gov/assets/700/693136.pdf) and AICPA standard on materiality (aicpa.org/Research/Standards/AuditAttest/DownloadableDocuments/…) contain numerous examples.
                                  – indigochild
                                  yesterday











                                  31














                                  You should consider nontrivial which means something which is not trivial (and hence should not be ignored).




                                  "We need to find results that are nontrivial."




                                  ODO:




                                  nontrivial
                                  ADJECTIVE
                                  1 Not trivial; significant.



                                  ‘In the second half of the eighteenth century, a significant share of
                                  rural households in southern England suffered non-trivial declines in
                                  real income.’



                                  trivial
                                  ADJECTIVE
                                  1 Of little value or importance.



                                  ‘Very often qualitative studies seem to be full of apparently trivial
                                  details.’







                                  share|improve this answer

















                                  • 6




                                    While I upvoted several others, I think this is the best answer. All of the others have at least suggestions of a truly large or significant effect that could imply more than is meant. "Nontrivial" precisely means something large enough that it cannot be disregarded in that context without any further implications about how large. Non-negligible would also be an almost perfect synonym, but its longer and requires a hyphenated phrase.
                                    – TimothyAWiseman
                                    2 days ago






                                  • 1




                                    I think this is not a good suggestion, for two reasons. 1) "nontrivial" and "trivial" have exact meaning in mathematics, e.g. nontrivial solution is the one which is not all zeros zero in set of linear equation, and trivial is x1=x2=,...=xn=0. 2) Possibly as spillover to mathematics, trivial also means easily obtained or obvious, and nontrivial can be understood as difficult to obtain (regardless of its impact).
                                    – jpers
                                    2 days ago










                                  • I was going to answer with this if no one else got to it first for the same reasons TimothyAWiseman mentioned; definitely the best answer here.
                                    – kayleeFrye_onDeck
                                    2 days ago
















                                  31














                                  You should consider nontrivial which means something which is not trivial (and hence should not be ignored).




                                  "We need to find results that are nontrivial."




                                  ODO:




                                  nontrivial
                                  ADJECTIVE
                                  1 Not trivial; significant.



                                  ‘In the second half of the eighteenth century, a significant share of
                                  rural households in southern England suffered non-trivial declines in
                                  real income.’



                                  trivial
                                  ADJECTIVE
                                  1 Of little value or importance.



                                  ‘Very often qualitative studies seem to be full of apparently trivial
                                  details.’







                                  share|improve this answer

















                                  • 6




                                    While I upvoted several others, I think this is the best answer. All of the others have at least suggestions of a truly large or significant effect that could imply more than is meant. "Nontrivial" precisely means something large enough that it cannot be disregarded in that context without any further implications about how large. Non-negligible would also be an almost perfect synonym, but its longer and requires a hyphenated phrase.
                                    – TimothyAWiseman
                                    2 days ago






                                  • 1




                                    I think this is not a good suggestion, for two reasons. 1) "nontrivial" and "trivial" have exact meaning in mathematics, e.g. nontrivial solution is the one which is not all zeros zero in set of linear equation, and trivial is x1=x2=,...=xn=0. 2) Possibly as spillover to mathematics, trivial also means easily obtained or obvious, and nontrivial can be understood as difficult to obtain (regardless of its impact).
                                    – jpers
                                    2 days ago










                                  • I was going to answer with this if no one else got to it first for the same reasons TimothyAWiseman mentioned; definitely the best answer here.
                                    – kayleeFrye_onDeck
                                    2 days ago














                                  31












                                  31








                                  31






                                  You should consider nontrivial which means something which is not trivial (and hence should not be ignored).




                                  "We need to find results that are nontrivial."




                                  ODO:




                                  nontrivial
                                  ADJECTIVE
                                  1 Not trivial; significant.



                                  ‘In the second half of the eighteenth century, a significant share of
                                  rural households in southern England suffered non-trivial declines in
                                  real income.’



                                  trivial
                                  ADJECTIVE
                                  1 Of little value or importance.



                                  ‘Very often qualitative studies seem to be full of apparently trivial
                                  details.’







                                  share|improve this answer












                                  You should consider nontrivial which means something which is not trivial (and hence should not be ignored).




                                  "We need to find results that are nontrivial."




                                  ODO:




                                  nontrivial
                                  ADJECTIVE
                                  1 Not trivial; significant.



                                  ‘In the second half of the eighteenth century, a significant share of
                                  rural households in southern England suffered non-trivial declines in
                                  real income.’



                                  trivial
                                  ADJECTIVE
                                  1 Of little value or importance.



                                  ‘Very often qualitative studies seem to be full of apparently trivial
                                  details.’








                                  share|improve this answer












                                  share|improve this answer



                                  share|improve this answer










                                  answered 2 days ago









                                  alwayslearning

                                  25.8k63794




                                  25.8k63794








                                  • 6




                                    While I upvoted several others, I think this is the best answer. All of the others have at least suggestions of a truly large or significant effect that could imply more than is meant. "Nontrivial" precisely means something large enough that it cannot be disregarded in that context without any further implications about how large. Non-negligible would also be an almost perfect synonym, but its longer and requires a hyphenated phrase.
                                    – TimothyAWiseman
                                    2 days ago






                                  • 1




                                    I think this is not a good suggestion, for two reasons. 1) "nontrivial" and "trivial" have exact meaning in mathematics, e.g. nontrivial solution is the one which is not all zeros zero in set of linear equation, and trivial is x1=x2=,...=xn=0. 2) Possibly as spillover to mathematics, trivial also means easily obtained or obvious, and nontrivial can be understood as difficult to obtain (regardless of its impact).
                                    – jpers
                                    2 days ago










                                  • I was going to answer with this if no one else got to it first for the same reasons TimothyAWiseman mentioned; definitely the best answer here.
                                    – kayleeFrye_onDeck
                                    2 days ago














                                  • 6




                                    While I upvoted several others, I think this is the best answer. All of the others have at least suggestions of a truly large or significant effect that could imply more than is meant. "Nontrivial" precisely means something large enough that it cannot be disregarded in that context without any further implications about how large. Non-negligible would also be an almost perfect synonym, but its longer and requires a hyphenated phrase.
                                    – TimothyAWiseman
                                    2 days ago






                                  • 1




                                    I think this is not a good suggestion, for two reasons. 1) "nontrivial" and "trivial" have exact meaning in mathematics, e.g. nontrivial solution is the one which is not all zeros zero in set of linear equation, and trivial is x1=x2=,...=xn=0. 2) Possibly as spillover to mathematics, trivial also means easily obtained or obvious, and nontrivial can be understood as difficult to obtain (regardless of its impact).
                                    – jpers
                                    2 days ago










                                  • I was going to answer with this if no one else got to it first for the same reasons TimothyAWiseman mentioned; definitely the best answer here.
                                    – kayleeFrye_onDeck
                                    2 days ago








                                  6




                                  6




                                  While I upvoted several others, I think this is the best answer. All of the others have at least suggestions of a truly large or significant effect that could imply more than is meant. "Nontrivial" precisely means something large enough that it cannot be disregarded in that context without any further implications about how large. Non-negligible would also be an almost perfect synonym, but its longer and requires a hyphenated phrase.
                                  – TimothyAWiseman
                                  2 days ago




                                  While I upvoted several others, I think this is the best answer. All of the others have at least suggestions of a truly large or significant effect that could imply more than is meant. "Nontrivial" precisely means something large enough that it cannot be disregarded in that context without any further implications about how large. Non-negligible would also be an almost perfect synonym, but its longer and requires a hyphenated phrase.
                                  – TimothyAWiseman
                                  2 days ago




                                  1




                                  1




                                  I think this is not a good suggestion, for two reasons. 1) "nontrivial" and "trivial" have exact meaning in mathematics, e.g. nontrivial solution is the one which is not all zeros zero in set of linear equation, and trivial is x1=x2=,...=xn=0. 2) Possibly as spillover to mathematics, trivial also means easily obtained or obvious, and nontrivial can be understood as difficult to obtain (regardless of its impact).
                                  – jpers
                                  2 days ago




                                  I think this is not a good suggestion, for two reasons. 1) "nontrivial" and "trivial" have exact meaning in mathematics, e.g. nontrivial solution is the one which is not all zeros zero in set of linear equation, and trivial is x1=x2=,...=xn=0. 2) Possibly as spillover to mathematics, trivial also means easily obtained or obvious, and nontrivial can be understood as difficult to obtain (regardless of its impact).
                                  – jpers
                                  2 days ago












                                  I was going to answer with this if no one else got to it first for the same reasons TimothyAWiseman mentioned; definitely the best answer here.
                                  – kayleeFrye_onDeck
                                  2 days ago




                                  I was going to answer with this if no one else got to it first for the same reasons TimothyAWiseman mentioned; definitely the best answer here.
                                  – kayleeFrye_onDeck
                                  2 days ago











                                  23














                                  Substantial as in "a substantial salary" or "a substantial amount" fits the bill.




                                  substantial - (adjective) significantly great MW





                                  • The party has just lost office and with it a substantial number of seats.¹

                                  • That is a very substantial improvement in the present situation.¹

                                  • She inherited a substantial fortune from her grandmother.²

                                  • All the evidence points to a substantial rise in traffic over the next few years.²






                                  share|improve this answer



















                                  • 3




                                    Substantial indicates "considerable importance, size, or worth". IMO that's a "meaningful" (noteworthy, or non-negligible) difference. E.g., a pay raise that is noteworthy, meaningful, or impactful is not necessarily substantial (nor is it necessarily significant). But, it may still be enough to "make a difference".
                                    – The AI Architect
                                    Jan 2 at 3:20
















                                  23














                                  Substantial as in "a substantial salary" or "a substantial amount" fits the bill.




                                  substantial - (adjective) significantly great MW





                                  • The party has just lost office and with it a substantial number of seats.¹

                                  • That is a very substantial improvement in the present situation.¹

                                  • She inherited a substantial fortune from her grandmother.²

                                  • All the evidence points to a substantial rise in traffic over the next few years.²






                                  share|improve this answer



















                                  • 3




                                    Substantial indicates "considerable importance, size, or worth". IMO that's a "meaningful" (noteworthy, or non-negligible) difference. E.g., a pay raise that is noteworthy, meaningful, or impactful is not necessarily substantial (nor is it necessarily significant). But, it may still be enough to "make a difference".
                                    – The AI Architect
                                    Jan 2 at 3:20














                                  23












                                  23








                                  23






                                  Substantial as in "a substantial salary" or "a substantial amount" fits the bill.




                                  substantial - (adjective) significantly great MW





                                  • The party has just lost office and with it a substantial number of seats.¹

                                  • That is a very substantial improvement in the present situation.¹

                                  • She inherited a substantial fortune from her grandmother.²

                                  • All the evidence points to a substantial rise in traffic over the next few years.²






                                  share|improve this answer














                                  Substantial as in "a substantial salary" or "a substantial amount" fits the bill.




                                  substantial - (adjective) significantly great MW





                                  • The party has just lost office and with it a substantial number of seats.¹

                                  • That is a very substantial improvement in the present situation.¹

                                  • She inherited a substantial fortune from her grandmother.²

                                  • All the evidence points to a substantial rise in traffic over the next few years.²







                                  share|improve this answer














                                  share|improve this answer



                                  share|improve this answer








                                  edited Jan 1 at 21:02

























                                  answered Jan 1 at 20:56









                                  Centaurus

                                  38.2k28122244




                                  38.2k28122244








                                  • 3




                                    Substantial indicates "considerable importance, size, or worth". IMO that's a "meaningful" (noteworthy, or non-negligible) difference. E.g., a pay raise that is noteworthy, meaningful, or impactful is not necessarily substantial (nor is it necessarily significant). But, it may still be enough to "make a difference".
                                    – The AI Architect
                                    Jan 2 at 3:20














                                  • 3




                                    Substantial indicates "considerable importance, size, or worth". IMO that's a "meaningful" (noteworthy, or non-negligible) difference. E.g., a pay raise that is noteworthy, meaningful, or impactful is not necessarily substantial (nor is it necessarily significant). But, it may still be enough to "make a difference".
                                    – The AI Architect
                                    Jan 2 at 3:20








                                  3




                                  3




                                  Substantial indicates "considerable importance, size, or worth". IMO that's a "meaningful" (noteworthy, or non-negligible) difference. E.g., a pay raise that is noteworthy, meaningful, or impactful is not necessarily substantial (nor is it necessarily significant). But, it may still be enough to "make a difference".
                                  – The AI Architect
                                  Jan 2 at 3:20




                                  Substantial indicates "considerable importance, size, or worth". IMO that's a "meaningful" (noteworthy, or non-negligible) difference. E.g., a pay raise that is noteworthy, meaningful, or impactful is not necessarily substantial (nor is it necessarily significant). But, it may still be enough to "make a difference".
                                  – The AI Architect
                                  Jan 2 at 3:20











                                  16














                                  Non-negligible works well in certain contexts when discussing a variable that is so not so insignificant that it can be neglected.



                                  The definition of negligible is:




                                  so small, trifling, or unimportant that it may safely be neglected or disregarded




                                  Non-negligible is, of course, the opposite.






                                  share|improve this answer


























                                    16














                                    Non-negligible works well in certain contexts when discussing a variable that is so not so insignificant that it can be neglected.



                                    The definition of negligible is:




                                    so small, trifling, or unimportant that it may safely be neglected or disregarded




                                    Non-negligible is, of course, the opposite.






                                    share|improve this answer
























                                      16












                                      16








                                      16






                                      Non-negligible works well in certain contexts when discussing a variable that is so not so insignificant that it can be neglected.



                                      The definition of negligible is:




                                      so small, trifling, or unimportant that it may safely be neglected or disregarded




                                      Non-negligible is, of course, the opposite.






                                      share|improve this answer












                                      Non-negligible works well in certain contexts when discussing a variable that is so not so insignificant that it can be neglected.



                                      The definition of negligible is:




                                      so small, trifling, or unimportant that it may safely be neglected or disregarded




                                      Non-negligible is, of course, the opposite.







                                      share|improve this answer












                                      share|improve this answer



                                      share|improve this answer










                                      answered Jan 2 at 2:47









                                      forest

                                      49212




                                      49212























                                          16














                                          "Significant"



                                          The relevant Oxford English Dictionary meaning of the word is "Sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy; consequential, influential."






                                          share|improve this answer








                                          New contributor




                                          Simon is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.














                                          • 4




                                            See my comment on why this is not helpful in a context where "significant" may be mistaken for "statistically significant".
                                            – Stephan Kolassa
                                            2 days ago






                                          • 2




                                            Simon, I don't think this answer is adequate given the issue identified by the OP regarding "statistically significant". It's incumbent on you to explain how "We need to find results that are significant" avoids a narrowly statistical interpretation. Something that is statistically significant may not make any difference at all, since "make a difference" implies causality whereas "significant" might merely relate to a correlation.
                                            – Chappo
                                            2 days ago








                                          • 1




                                            Does this answer add anything to the comment by @michael.hor257k? The comment's being very highly upvoted indicated that it may well deserve to be developed into an answer, but, given that the OP is already well familiar with this word, the answer needs to explain why it is misguided to look for a different one.
                                            – jsw29
                                            yesterday
















                                          16














                                          "Significant"



                                          The relevant Oxford English Dictionary meaning of the word is "Sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy; consequential, influential."






                                          share|improve this answer








                                          New contributor




                                          Simon is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.














                                          • 4




                                            See my comment on why this is not helpful in a context where "significant" may be mistaken for "statistically significant".
                                            – Stephan Kolassa
                                            2 days ago






                                          • 2




                                            Simon, I don't think this answer is adequate given the issue identified by the OP regarding "statistically significant". It's incumbent on you to explain how "We need to find results that are significant" avoids a narrowly statistical interpretation. Something that is statistically significant may not make any difference at all, since "make a difference" implies causality whereas "significant" might merely relate to a correlation.
                                            – Chappo
                                            2 days ago








                                          • 1




                                            Does this answer add anything to the comment by @michael.hor257k? The comment's being very highly upvoted indicated that it may well deserve to be developed into an answer, but, given that the OP is already well familiar with this word, the answer needs to explain why it is misguided to look for a different one.
                                            – jsw29
                                            yesterday














                                          16












                                          16








                                          16






                                          "Significant"



                                          The relevant Oxford English Dictionary meaning of the word is "Sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy; consequential, influential."






                                          share|improve this answer








                                          New contributor




                                          Simon is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                          "Significant"



                                          The relevant Oxford English Dictionary meaning of the word is "Sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy; consequential, influential."







                                          share|improve this answer








                                          New contributor




                                          Simon is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                          share|improve this answer



                                          share|improve this answer






                                          New contributor




                                          Simon is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                          answered 2 days ago









                                          Simon

                                          1852




                                          1852




                                          New contributor




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                                          New contributor





                                          Simon is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                          Simon is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.








                                          • 4




                                            See my comment on why this is not helpful in a context where "significant" may be mistaken for "statistically significant".
                                            – Stephan Kolassa
                                            2 days ago






                                          • 2




                                            Simon, I don't think this answer is adequate given the issue identified by the OP regarding "statistically significant". It's incumbent on you to explain how "We need to find results that are significant" avoids a narrowly statistical interpretation. Something that is statistically significant may not make any difference at all, since "make a difference" implies causality whereas "significant" might merely relate to a correlation.
                                            – Chappo
                                            2 days ago








                                          • 1




                                            Does this answer add anything to the comment by @michael.hor257k? The comment's being very highly upvoted indicated that it may well deserve to be developed into an answer, but, given that the OP is already well familiar with this word, the answer needs to explain why it is misguided to look for a different one.
                                            – jsw29
                                            yesterday














                                          • 4




                                            See my comment on why this is not helpful in a context where "significant" may be mistaken for "statistically significant".
                                            – Stephan Kolassa
                                            2 days ago






                                          • 2




                                            Simon, I don't think this answer is adequate given the issue identified by the OP regarding "statistically significant". It's incumbent on you to explain how "We need to find results that are significant" avoids a narrowly statistical interpretation. Something that is statistically significant may not make any difference at all, since "make a difference" implies causality whereas "significant" might merely relate to a correlation.
                                            – Chappo
                                            2 days ago








                                          • 1




                                            Does this answer add anything to the comment by @michael.hor257k? The comment's being very highly upvoted indicated that it may well deserve to be developed into an answer, but, given that the OP is already well familiar with this word, the answer needs to explain why it is misguided to look for a different one.
                                            – jsw29
                                            yesterday








                                          4




                                          4




                                          See my comment on why this is not helpful in a context where "significant" may be mistaken for "statistically significant".
                                          – Stephan Kolassa
                                          2 days ago




                                          See my comment on why this is not helpful in a context where "significant" may be mistaken for "statistically significant".
                                          – Stephan Kolassa
                                          2 days ago




                                          2




                                          2




                                          Simon, I don't think this answer is adequate given the issue identified by the OP regarding "statistically significant". It's incumbent on you to explain how "We need to find results that are significant" avoids a narrowly statistical interpretation. Something that is statistically significant may not make any difference at all, since "make a difference" implies causality whereas "significant" might merely relate to a correlation.
                                          – Chappo
                                          2 days ago






                                          Simon, I don't think this answer is adequate given the issue identified by the OP regarding "statistically significant". It's incumbent on you to explain how "We need to find results that are significant" avoids a narrowly statistical interpretation. Something that is statistically significant may not make any difference at all, since "make a difference" implies causality whereas "significant" might merely relate to a correlation.
                                          – Chappo
                                          2 days ago






                                          1




                                          1




                                          Does this answer add anything to the comment by @michael.hor257k? The comment's being very highly upvoted indicated that it may well deserve to be developed into an answer, but, given that the OP is already well familiar with this word, the answer needs to explain why it is misguided to look for a different one.
                                          – jsw29
                                          yesterday




                                          Does this answer add anything to the comment by @michael.hor257k? The comment's being very highly upvoted indicated that it may well deserve to be developed into an answer, but, given that the OP is already well familiar with this word, the answer needs to explain why it is misguided to look for a different one.
                                          – jsw29
                                          yesterday











                                          15














                                          To directly match “Significant enough to make a difference” I’d suggest impactful:




                                          Oxford Dictionaries



                                          Impactful - Having a major impact or effect.




                                          For the specific context you’ve provided, though, I think noteworthy fits the sentence much better:




                                          Oxford Dictionaries



                                          Noteworthy - Worth paying attention to; interesting or significant.







                                          share|improve this answer










                                          New contributor




                                          Saate is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                          • 1




                                            Impactful was the word that came to my mind when I read the question. To me 'Noteworthy' doesn't carry the same strength (For example, a minor uptick in the stock market may be noteworthy but not impactful).
                                            – Balaz2ta
                                            Jan 2 at 2:43












                                          • OMG that is one but-tugly word. Please don't let people use it!
                                            – Carl Witthoft
                                            15 hours ago
















                                          15














                                          To directly match “Significant enough to make a difference” I’d suggest impactful:




                                          Oxford Dictionaries



                                          Impactful - Having a major impact or effect.




                                          For the specific context you’ve provided, though, I think noteworthy fits the sentence much better:




                                          Oxford Dictionaries



                                          Noteworthy - Worth paying attention to; interesting or significant.







                                          share|improve this answer










                                          New contributor




                                          Saate is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.














                                          • 1




                                            Impactful was the word that came to my mind when I read the question. To me 'Noteworthy' doesn't carry the same strength (For example, a minor uptick in the stock market may be noteworthy but not impactful).
                                            – Balaz2ta
                                            Jan 2 at 2:43












                                          • OMG that is one but-tugly word. Please don't let people use it!
                                            – Carl Witthoft
                                            15 hours ago














                                          15












                                          15








                                          15






                                          To directly match “Significant enough to make a difference” I’d suggest impactful:




                                          Oxford Dictionaries



                                          Impactful - Having a major impact or effect.




                                          For the specific context you’ve provided, though, I think noteworthy fits the sentence much better:




                                          Oxford Dictionaries



                                          Noteworthy - Worth paying attention to; interesting or significant.







                                          share|improve this answer










                                          New contributor




                                          Saate is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                          To directly match “Significant enough to make a difference” I’d suggest impactful:




                                          Oxford Dictionaries



                                          Impactful - Having a major impact or effect.




                                          For the specific context you’ve provided, though, I think noteworthy fits the sentence much better:




                                          Oxford Dictionaries



                                          Noteworthy - Worth paying attention to; interesting or significant.








                                          share|improve this answer










                                          New contributor




                                          Saate is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                          share|improve this answer



                                          share|improve this answer








                                          edited Jan 2 at 3:31





















                                          New contributor




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                                          answered Jan 2 at 2:37









                                          Saate

                                          1714




                                          1714




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                                          New contributor





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                                          Saate is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                          • 1




                                            Impactful was the word that came to my mind when I read the question. To me 'Noteworthy' doesn't carry the same strength (For example, a minor uptick in the stock market may be noteworthy but not impactful).
                                            – Balaz2ta
                                            Jan 2 at 2:43












                                          • OMG that is one but-tugly word. Please don't let people use it!
                                            – Carl Witthoft
                                            15 hours ago














                                          • 1




                                            Impactful was the word that came to my mind when I read the question. To me 'Noteworthy' doesn't carry the same strength (For example, a minor uptick in the stock market may be noteworthy but not impactful).
                                            – Balaz2ta
                                            Jan 2 at 2:43












                                          • OMG that is one but-tugly word. Please don't let people use it!
                                            – Carl Witthoft
                                            15 hours ago








                                          1




                                          1




                                          Impactful was the word that came to my mind when I read the question. To me 'Noteworthy' doesn't carry the same strength (For example, a minor uptick in the stock market may be noteworthy but not impactful).
                                          – Balaz2ta
                                          Jan 2 at 2:43






                                          Impactful was the word that came to my mind when I read the question. To me 'Noteworthy' doesn't carry the same strength (For example, a minor uptick in the stock market may be noteworthy but not impactful).
                                          – Balaz2ta
                                          Jan 2 at 2:43














                                          OMG that is one but-tugly word. Please don't let people use it!
                                          – Carl Witthoft
                                          15 hours ago




                                          OMG that is one but-tugly word. Please don't let people use it!
                                          – Carl Witthoft
                                          15 hours ago











                                          13














                                          Because you mention statistical significance, I would like to discuss the usage in a technical context.



                                          Statistical significance essentially means that an observed difference or change is unlikely to have occurred by chance, and hence that it very probably is indicative of some real phenomenon. As you have discovered, this does not necessarily mean that the change or difference is of any importance. Even extremely small changes may be statistically significant if the measurement process is very precise.



                                          Sometimes, this creates the requirement of distinguishing between "differences that are statistically significant, but inconsequential" and "differences that are statistically significant, and are also large enough to have some practical impact." Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a single word or short phrase that is universally understood to have this technical meaning.



                                          In my own field, we say "technically significant" to mean "of practical importance, whether or not it is also statistically significant." However I am aware of other fields that use the same phrase to mean almost the opposite: "statistically significant but unimportant."



                                          So in a technical context, it seems that if there is any risk of confusion it is best to clearly state what you mean instead of trying to form a compact phrase.






                                          share|improve this answer








                                          New contributor




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                                          • 4




                                            (+1) "Practical significance" is I think most often used in distinction to (mere) "statistical significance": google.com/search?q="Practical+significance".
                                            – Scortchi
                                            2 days ago






                                          • 8




                                            Another option is a context-specific adverb: e.g. "The rise in cholesterol levels was statistically, but not physiologically, significant."
                                            – Scortchi
                                            2 days ago


















                                          13














                                          Because you mention statistical significance, I would like to discuss the usage in a technical context.



                                          Statistical significance essentially means that an observed difference or change is unlikely to have occurred by chance, and hence that it very probably is indicative of some real phenomenon. As you have discovered, this does not necessarily mean that the change or difference is of any importance. Even extremely small changes may be statistically significant if the measurement process is very precise.



                                          Sometimes, this creates the requirement of distinguishing between "differences that are statistically significant, but inconsequential" and "differences that are statistically significant, and are also large enough to have some practical impact." Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a single word or short phrase that is universally understood to have this technical meaning.



                                          In my own field, we say "technically significant" to mean "of practical importance, whether or not it is also statistically significant." However I am aware of other fields that use the same phrase to mean almost the opposite: "statistically significant but unimportant."



                                          So in a technical context, it seems that if there is any risk of confusion it is best to clearly state what you mean instead of trying to form a compact phrase.






                                          share|improve this answer








                                          New contributor




                                          Securiger is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.














                                          • 4




                                            (+1) "Practical significance" is I think most often used in distinction to (mere) "statistical significance": google.com/search?q="Practical+significance".
                                            – Scortchi
                                            2 days ago






                                          • 8




                                            Another option is a context-specific adverb: e.g. "The rise in cholesterol levels was statistically, but not physiologically, significant."
                                            – Scortchi
                                            2 days ago
















                                          13












                                          13








                                          13






                                          Because you mention statistical significance, I would like to discuss the usage in a technical context.



                                          Statistical significance essentially means that an observed difference or change is unlikely to have occurred by chance, and hence that it very probably is indicative of some real phenomenon. As you have discovered, this does not necessarily mean that the change or difference is of any importance. Even extremely small changes may be statistically significant if the measurement process is very precise.



                                          Sometimes, this creates the requirement of distinguishing between "differences that are statistically significant, but inconsequential" and "differences that are statistically significant, and are also large enough to have some practical impact." Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a single word or short phrase that is universally understood to have this technical meaning.



                                          In my own field, we say "technically significant" to mean "of practical importance, whether or not it is also statistically significant." However I am aware of other fields that use the same phrase to mean almost the opposite: "statistically significant but unimportant."



                                          So in a technical context, it seems that if there is any risk of confusion it is best to clearly state what you mean instead of trying to form a compact phrase.






                                          share|improve this answer








                                          New contributor




                                          Securiger is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                          Because you mention statistical significance, I would like to discuss the usage in a technical context.



                                          Statistical significance essentially means that an observed difference or change is unlikely to have occurred by chance, and hence that it very probably is indicative of some real phenomenon. As you have discovered, this does not necessarily mean that the change or difference is of any importance. Even extremely small changes may be statistically significant if the measurement process is very precise.



                                          Sometimes, this creates the requirement of distinguishing between "differences that are statistically significant, but inconsequential" and "differences that are statistically significant, and are also large enough to have some practical impact." Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a single word or short phrase that is universally understood to have this technical meaning.



                                          In my own field, we say "technically significant" to mean "of practical importance, whether or not it is also statistically significant." However I am aware of other fields that use the same phrase to mean almost the opposite: "statistically significant but unimportant."



                                          So in a technical context, it seems that if there is any risk of confusion it is best to clearly state what you mean instead of trying to form a compact phrase.







                                          share|improve this answer








                                          New contributor




                                          Securiger is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                          share|improve this answer



                                          share|improve this answer






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                                          answered Jan 2 at 7:20









                                          Securiger

                                          2312




                                          2312




                                          New contributor




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                                          New contributor





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                                          • 4




                                            (+1) "Practical significance" is I think most often used in distinction to (mere) "statistical significance": google.com/search?q="Practical+significance".
                                            – Scortchi
                                            2 days ago






                                          • 8




                                            Another option is a context-specific adverb: e.g. "The rise in cholesterol levels was statistically, but not physiologically, significant."
                                            – Scortchi
                                            2 days ago
















                                          • 4




                                            (+1) "Practical significance" is I think most often used in distinction to (mere) "statistical significance": google.com/search?q="Practical+significance".
                                            – Scortchi
                                            2 days ago






                                          • 8




                                            Another option is a context-specific adverb: e.g. "The rise in cholesterol levels was statistically, but not physiologically, significant."
                                            – Scortchi
                                            2 days ago










                                          4




                                          4




                                          (+1) "Practical significance" is I think most often used in distinction to (mere) "statistical significance": google.com/search?q="Practical+significance".
                                          – Scortchi
                                          2 days ago




                                          (+1) "Practical significance" is I think most often used in distinction to (mere) "statistical significance": google.com/search?q="Practical+significance".
                                          – Scortchi
                                          2 days ago




                                          8




                                          8




                                          Another option is a context-specific adverb: e.g. "The rise in cholesterol levels was statistically, but not physiologically, significant."
                                          – Scortchi
                                          2 days ago






                                          Another option is a context-specific adverb: e.g. "The rise in cholesterol levels was statistically, but not physiologically, significant."
                                          – Scortchi
                                          2 days ago













                                          7














                                          I'd stick with 'significant'.



                                          "We need to find results that are significant".



                                          "Enough to make a difference" is exactly what "significant" MEANS. 'Significant enough to make a difference' is tautology.



                                          I'd avoid 'statistically significant' outside a mathematical context. As people have mentioned, that means something special.






                                          share|improve this answer



















                                          • 4




                                            See my comment on why this is not helpful in a context where "significant" may be mistaken for "statistically significant".
                                            – Stephan Kolassa
                                            2 days ago
















                                          7














                                          I'd stick with 'significant'.



                                          "We need to find results that are significant".



                                          "Enough to make a difference" is exactly what "significant" MEANS. 'Significant enough to make a difference' is tautology.



                                          I'd avoid 'statistically significant' outside a mathematical context. As people have mentioned, that means something special.






                                          share|improve this answer



















                                          • 4




                                            See my comment on why this is not helpful in a context where "significant" may be mistaken for "statistically significant".
                                            – Stephan Kolassa
                                            2 days ago














                                          7












                                          7








                                          7






                                          I'd stick with 'significant'.



                                          "We need to find results that are significant".



                                          "Enough to make a difference" is exactly what "significant" MEANS. 'Significant enough to make a difference' is tautology.



                                          I'd avoid 'statistically significant' outside a mathematical context. As people have mentioned, that means something special.






                                          share|improve this answer














                                          I'd stick with 'significant'.



                                          "We need to find results that are significant".



                                          "Enough to make a difference" is exactly what "significant" MEANS. 'Significant enough to make a difference' is tautology.



                                          I'd avoid 'statistically significant' outside a mathematical context. As people have mentioned, that means something special.







                                          share|improve this answer














                                          share|improve this answer



                                          share|improve this answer








                                          edited 2 days ago

























                                          answered 2 days ago









                                          Laurence Payne

                                          55426




                                          55426








                                          • 4




                                            See my comment on why this is not helpful in a context where "significant" may be mistaken for "statistically significant".
                                            – Stephan Kolassa
                                            2 days ago














                                          • 4




                                            See my comment on why this is not helpful in a context where "significant" may be mistaken for "statistically significant".
                                            – Stephan Kolassa
                                            2 days ago








                                          4




                                          4




                                          See my comment on why this is not helpful in a context where "significant" may be mistaken for "statistically significant".
                                          – Stephan Kolassa
                                          2 days ago




                                          See my comment on why this is not helpful in a context where "significant" may be mistaken for "statistically significant".
                                          – Stephan Kolassa
                                          2 days ago











                                          7














                                          The accepted term in medicine and psychology is "clinically significant", as compared to statistical significance.




                                          In medicine and psychology, clinical significance is the practical importance of a treatment effect—whether it has a real genuine, palpable, noticeable effect on daily life.




                                          Note that this usage is endorsed by the American Psychological Association (APA) per Vacha-Haase et al. (2000). I do not know of any comparable standards in medicine (being a somewhat psychology-affiliated statistician), but these may be findable.






                                          share|improve this answer



















                                          • 3




                                            Not an antonym. Insulin treatment is clinically significant and statistically significant.
                                            – Phil Frost
                                            2 days ago










                                          • palpable (results)
                                            – Mazura
                                            2 days ago










                                          • Yes, this is not at all an antonym to statistical significance, in either psychology or medicine. Statistical significance is necessary but not sufficient for clinical significance. Statistical significance is whether an observed difference is likely to be due to chance; clinical significance is about the size of that difference, the effect size. You cannot have a clinically significant effect size if there is no effect
                                            – De Novo
                                            2 days ago








                                          • 1




                                            Good points. I changed "antonym" to "compared to".
                                            – Stephan Kolassa
                                            yesterday
















                                          7














                                          The accepted term in medicine and psychology is "clinically significant", as compared to statistical significance.




                                          In medicine and psychology, clinical significance is the practical importance of a treatment effect—whether it has a real genuine, palpable, noticeable effect on daily life.




                                          Note that this usage is endorsed by the American Psychological Association (APA) per Vacha-Haase et al. (2000). I do not know of any comparable standards in medicine (being a somewhat psychology-affiliated statistician), but these may be findable.






                                          share|improve this answer



















                                          • 3




                                            Not an antonym. Insulin treatment is clinically significant and statistically significant.
                                            – Phil Frost
                                            2 days ago










                                          • palpable (results)
                                            – Mazura
                                            2 days ago










                                          • Yes, this is not at all an antonym to statistical significance, in either psychology or medicine. Statistical significance is necessary but not sufficient for clinical significance. Statistical significance is whether an observed difference is likely to be due to chance; clinical significance is about the size of that difference, the effect size. You cannot have a clinically significant effect size if there is no effect
                                            – De Novo
                                            2 days ago








                                          • 1




                                            Good points. I changed "antonym" to "compared to".
                                            – Stephan Kolassa
                                            yesterday














                                          7












                                          7








                                          7






                                          The accepted term in medicine and psychology is "clinically significant", as compared to statistical significance.




                                          In medicine and psychology, clinical significance is the practical importance of a treatment effect—whether it has a real genuine, palpable, noticeable effect on daily life.




                                          Note that this usage is endorsed by the American Psychological Association (APA) per Vacha-Haase et al. (2000). I do not know of any comparable standards in medicine (being a somewhat psychology-affiliated statistician), but these may be findable.






                                          share|improve this answer














                                          The accepted term in medicine and psychology is "clinically significant", as compared to statistical significance.




                                          In medicine and psychology, clinical significance is the practical importance of a treatment effect—whether it has a real genuine, palpable, noticeable effect on daily life.




                                          Note that this usage is endorsed by the American Psychological Association (APA) per Vacha-Haase et al. (2000). I do not know of any comparable standards in medicine (being a somewhat psychology-affiliated statistician), but these may be findable.







                                          share|improve this answer














                                          share|improve this answer



                                          share|improve this answer








                                          edited yesterday

























                                          answered 2 days ago









                                          Stephan Kolassa

                                          262210




                                          262210








                                          • 3




                                            Not an antonym. Insulin treatment is clinically significant and statistically significant.
                                            – Phil Frost
                                            2 days ago










                                          • palpable (results)
                                            – Mazura
                                            2 days ago










                                          • Yes, this is not at all an antonym to statistical significance, in either psychology or medicine. Statistical significance is necessary but not sufficient for clinical significance. Statistical significance is whether an observed difference is likely to be due to chance; clinical significance is about the size of that difference, the effect size. You cannot have a clinically significant effect size if there is no effect
                                            – De Novo
                                            2 days ago








                                          • 1




                                            Good points. I changed "antonym" to "compared to".
                                            – Stephan Kolassa
                                            yesterday














                                          • 3




                                            Not an antonym. Insulin treatment is clinically significant and statistically significant.
                                            – Phil Frost
                                            2 days ago










                                          • palpable (results)
                                            – Mazura
                                            2 days ago










                                          • Yes, this is not at all an antonym to statistical significance, in either psychology or medicine. Statistical significance is necessary but not sufficient for clinical significance. Statistical significance is whether an observed difference is likely to be due to chance; clinical significance is about the size of that difference, the effect size. You cannot have a clinically significant effect size if there is no effect
                                            – De Novo
                                            2 days ago








                                          • 1




                                            Good points. I changed "antonym" to "compared to".
                                            – Stephan Kolassa
                                            yesterday








                                          3




                                          3




                                          Not an antonym. Insulin treatment is clinically significant and statistically significant.
                                          – Phil Frost
                                          2 days ago




                                          Not an antonym. Insulin treatment is clinically significant and statistically significant.
                                          – Phil Frost
                                          2 days ago












                                          palpable (results)
                                          – Mazura
                                          2 days ago




                                          palpable (results)
                                          – Mazura
                                          2 days ago












                                          Yes, this is not at all an antonym to statistical significance, in either psychology or medicine. Statistical significance is necessary but not sufficient for clinical significance. Statistical significance is whether an observed difference is likely to be due to chance; clinical significance is about the size of that difference, the effect size. You cannot have a clinically significant effect size if there is no effect
                                          – De Novo
                                          2 days ago






                                          Yes, this is not at all an antonym to statistical significance, in either psychology or medicine. Statistical significance is necessary but not sufficient for clinical significance. Statistical significance is whether an observed difference is likely to be due to chance; clinical significance is about the size of that difference, the effect size. You cannot have a clinically significant effect size if there is no effect
                                          – De Novo
                                          2 days ago






                                          1




                                          1




                                          Good points. I changed "antonym" to "compared to".
                                          – Stephan Kolassa
                                          yesterday




                                          Good points. I changed "antonym" to "compared to".
                                          – Stephan Kolassa
                                          yesterday











                                          3














                                          Salient. In tech it is common to specify salient characteristics when requesting quotes from vendors.






                                          share|improve this answer





















                                          • This is a good option. It indicates something is worth paying attention to but does not imply extreme importance.
                                            – barbecue
                                            2 days ago






                                          • 1




                                            You should link to a dictionary definition or other evidence to support your answer, and probably quote the meaning of the word in this usage from that source.
                                            – V2Blast
                                            2 days ago
















                                          3














                                          Salient. In tech it is common to specify salient characteristics when requesting quotes from vendors.






                                          share|improve this answer





















                                          • This is a good option. It indicates something is worth paying attention to but does not imply extreme importance.
                                            – barbecue
                                            2 days ago






                                          • 1




                                            You should link to a dictionary definition or other evidence to support your answer, and probably quote the meaning of the word in this usage from that source.
                                            – V2Blast
                                            2 days ago














                                          3












                                          3








                                          3






                                          Salient. In tech it is common to specify salient characteristics when requesting quotes from vendors.






                                          share|improve this answer












                                          Salient. In tech it is common to specify salient characteristics when requesting quotes from vendors.







                                          share|improve this answer












                                          share|improve this answer



                                          share|improve this answer










                                          answered 2 days ago









                                          root1657

                                          1925




                                          1925












                                          • This is a good option. It indicates something is worth paying attention to but does not imply extreme importance.
                                            – barbecue
                                            2 days ago






                                          • 1




                                            You should link to a dictionary definition or other evidence to support your answer, and probably quote the meaning of the word in this usage from that source.
                                            – V2Blast
                                            2 days ago


















                                          • This is a good option. It indicates something is worth paying attention to but does not imply extreme importance.
                                            – barbecue
                                            2 days ago






                                          • 1




                                            You should link to a dictionary definition or other evidence to support your answer, and probably quote the meaning of the word in this usage from that source.
                                            – V2Blast
                                            2 days ago
















                                          This is a good option. It indicates something is worth paying attention to but does not imply extreme importance.
                                          – barbecue
                                          2 days ago




                                          This is a good option. It indicates something is worth paying attention to but does not imply extreme importance.
                                          – barbecue
                                          2 days ago




                                          1




                                          1




                                          You should link to a dictionary definition or other evidence to support your answer, and probably quote the meaning of the word in this usage from that source.
                                          – V2Blast
                                          2 days ago




                                          You should link to a dictionary definition or other evidence to support your answer, and probably quote the meaning of the word in this usage from that source.
                                          – V2Blast
                                          2 days ago











                                          3














                                          Considerable




                                          Considerable



                                          adjective



                                          notably large in size, amount, or extent.
                                          "a position of considerable influence"
                                          synonyms: sizable, substantial, appreciable, significant; More







                                          share|improve this answer








                                          New contributor




                                          jreese is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.























                                            3














                                            Considerable




                                            Considerable



                                            adjective



                                            notably large in size, amount, or extent.
                                            "a position of considerable influence"
                                            synonyms: sizable, substantial, appreciable, significant; More







                                            share|improve this answer








                                            New contributor




                                            jreese is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                            Check out our Code of Conduct.





















                                              3












                                              3








                                              3






                                              Considerable




                                              Considerable



                                              adjective



                                              notably large in size, amount, or extent.
                                              "a position of considerable influence"
                                              synonyms: sizable, substantial, appreciable, significant; More







                                              share|improve this answer








                                              New contributor




                                              jreese is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                              Considerable




                                              Considerable



                                              adjective



                                              notably large in size, amount, or extent.
                                              "a position of considerable influence"
                                              synonyms: sizable, substantial, appreciable, significant; More








                                              share|improve this answer








                                              New contributor




                                              jreese is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                              share|improve this answer



                                              share|improve this answer






                                              New contributor




                                              jreese is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                              answered 2 days ago









                                              jreese

                                              311




                                              311




                                              New contributor




                                              jreese is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                              New contributor





                                              jreese is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                              jreese is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.























                                                  3














                                                  A simple word that conveys the meaning is to matter. Using your example:




                                                  We need to find results that matter.




                                                  According to dictionary.com the definition for the verb "to matter" is




                                                  to be of importance; signify.




                                                  Similary, if something is "no matter",




                                                  it is unimportant; it makes no difference.







                                                  share|improve this answer


























                                                    3














                                                    A simple word that conveys the meaning is to matter. Using your example:




                                                    We need to find results that matter.




                                                    According to dictionary.com the definition for the verb "to matter" is




                                                    to be of importance; signify.




                                                    Similary, if something is "no matter",




                                                    it is unimportant; it makes no difference.







                                                    share|improve this answer
























                                                      3












                                                      3








                                                      3






                                                      A simple word that conveys the meaning is to matter. Using your example:




                                                      We need to find results that matter.




                                                      According to dictionary.com the definition for the verb "to matter" is




                                                      to be of importance; signify.




                                                      Similary, if something is "no matter",




                                                      it is unimportant; it makes no difference.







                                                      share|improve this answer












                                                      A simple word that conveys the meaning is to matter. Using your example:




                                                      We need to find results that matter.




                                                      According to dictionary.com the definition for the verb "to matter" is




                                                      to be of importance; signify.




                                                      Similary, if something is "no matter",




                                                      it is unimportant; it makes no difference.








                                                      share|improve this answer












                                                      share|improve this answer



                                                      share|improve this answer










                                                      answered yesterday









                                                      henning

                                                      6171413




                                                      6171413























                                                          1














                                                          Most of the other answers provide a word that is much more than just significant enough to make a difference. I'd like to suggest a word that quite literally means "[just] significant enough to make a difference."



                                                          Adequate




                                                          sufficient for a specific need or requirement



                                                          good enough




                                                          You didn't note speicifally how much of a difference had to be made, so I chose a word that covered the least amount possible to meet the needs of your test case.






                                                          share|improve this answer


























                                                            1














                                                            Most of the other answers provide a word that is much more than just significant enough to make a difference. I'd like to suggest a word that quite literally means "[just] significant enough to make a difference."



                                                            Adequate




                                                            sufficient for a specific need or requirement



                                                            good enough




                                                            You didn't note speicifally how much of a difference had to be made, so I chose a word that covered the least amount possible to meet the needs of your test case.






                                                            share|improve this answer
























                                                              1












                                                              1








                                                              1






                                                              Most of the other answers provide a word that is much more than just significant enough to make a difference. I'd like to suggest a word that quite literally means "[just] significant enough to make a difference."



                                                              Adequate




                                                              sufficient for a specific need or requirement



                                                              good enough




                                                              You didn't note speicifally how much of a difference had to be made, so I chose a word that covered the least amount possible to meet the needs of your test case.






                                                              share|improve this answer












                                                              Most of the other answers provide a word that is much more than just significant enough to make a difference. I'd like to suggest a word that quite literally means "[just] significant enough to make a difference."



                                                              Adequate




                                                              sufficient for a specific need or requirement



                                                              good enough




                                                              You didn't note speicifally how much of a difference had to be made, so I chose a word that covered the least amount possible to meet the needs of your test case.







                                                              share|improve this answer












                                                              share|improve this answer



                                                              share|improve this answer










                                                              answered 2 days ago









                                                              JBH

                                                              945114




                                                              945114























                                                                  1














                                                                  Notable comes to mind. From the OED:




                                                                  1. Worthy or deserving of attention, esp. on account of excellence, value, or importance; significant in size or amount; noteworthy, remarkable, striking, signal, eminent.




                                                                  While this is similar to "Noteworthy" (as talked about in this answer), notable tends to emphasize the greatness of a thing. For more on the subtle but noteworthy differences, see this thread.






                                                                  share|improve this answer


























                                                                    1














                                                                    Notable comes to mind. From the OED:




                                                                    1. Worthy or deserving of attention, esp. on account of excellence, value, or importance; significant in size or amount; noteworthy, remarkable, striking, signal, eminent.




                                                                    While this is similar to "Noteworthy" (as talked about in this answer), notable tends to emphasize the greatness of a thing. For more on the subtle but noteworthy differences, see this thread.






                                                                    share|improve this answer
























                                                                      1












                                                                      1








                                                                      1






                                                                      Notable comes to mind. From the OED:




                                                                      1. Worthy or deserving of attention, esp. on account of excellence, value, or importance; significant in size or amount; noteworthy, remarkable, striking, signal, eminent.




                                                                      While this is similar to "Noteworthy" (as talked about in this answer), notable tends to emphasize the greatness of a thing. For more on the subtle but noteworthy differences, see this thread.






                                                                      share|improve this answer












                                                                      Notable comes to mind. From the OED:




                                                                      1. Worthy or deserving of attention, esp. on account of excellence, value, or importance; significant in size or amount; noteworthy, remarkable, striking, signal, eminent.




                                                                      While this is similar to "Noteworthy" (as talked about in this answer), notable tends to emphasize the greatness of a thing. For more on the subtle but noteworthy differences, see this thread.







                                                                      share|improve this answer












                                                                      share|improve this answer



                                                                      share|improve this answer










                                                                      answered 2 days ago









                                                                      scohe001

                                                                      2,2711120




                                                                      2,2711120























                                                                          1














                                                                          One that's used in British English (esp. sports reporting) is telling. Idiomatically, a player whose impact on a match is significant enough to make a difference may be said to make a telling contribution.



                                                                          See here for example usage.






                                                                          share|improve this answer










                                                                          New contributor




                                                                          mrblewog is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.


















                                                                          • Seems reasonable to me, why the downvote?
                                                                            – barbecue
                                                                            2 days ago
















                                                                          1














                                                                          One that's used in British English (esp. sports reporting) is telling. Idiomatically, a player whose impact on a match is significant enough to make a difference may be said to make a telling contribution.



                                                                          See here for example usage.






                                                                          share|improve this answer










                                                                          New contributor




                                                                          mrblewog is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.


















                                                                          • Seems reasonable to me, why the downvote?
                                                                            – barbecue
                                                                            2 days ago














                                                                          1












                                                                          1








                                                                          1






                                                                          One that's used in British English (esp. sports reporting) is telling. Idiomatically, a player whose impact on a match is significant enough to make a difference may be said to make a telling contribution.



                                                                          See here for example usage.






                                                                          share|improve this answer










                                                                          New contributor




                                                                          mrblewog is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                                                          One that's used in British English (esp. sports reporting) is telling. Idiomatically, a player whose impact on a match is significant enough to make a difference may be said to make a telling contribution.



                                                                          See here for example usage.







                                                                          share|improve this answer










                                                                          New contributor




                                                                          mrblewog is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                                                          share|improve this answer



                                                                          share|improve this answer








                                                                          edited 2 days ago









                                                                          Jessica Tiberio

                                                                          902514




                                                                          902514






                                                                          New contributor




                                                                          mrblewog is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                                                          answered 2 days ago









                                                                          mrblewog

                                                                          1192




                                                                          1192




                                                                          New contributor




                                                                          mrblewog is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                                                          New contributor





                                                                          mrblewog is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                                                          • Seems reasonable to me, why the downvote?
                                                                            – barbecue
                                                                            2 days ago


















                                                                          • Seems reasonable to me, why the downvote?
                                                                            – barbecue
                                                                            2 days ago
















                                                                          Seems reasonable to me, why the downvote?
                                                                          – barbecue
                                                                          2 days ago




                                                                          Seems reasonable to me, why the downvote?
                                                                          – barbecue
                                                                          2 days ago











                                                                          1














                                                                          From comments it looks like this is being used in communications with clients. Without knowing more about those clients and how they might interpret terminology it's difficult to come up with an ideal term, but here are a few possible scenarios.



                                                                          If you are talking about features or attributes of something which are important enough that they should be paid attention to in a particular environment or context, relevant can be used.



                                                                          Relevant in this context means a thing is of enough significance that it should not be disregarded, but it does not convey extreme importance. If something is relevant, it needs to be taken into account, but may not be the most important aspect.




                                                                          Example: "Pages two and three of the instructions are relevant to
                                                                          customers in Hawaii only."




                                                                          Noticeable is similar in that it indicates a difference worthy of paying attention to, but not in a dramatic or extreme manner, and is often used to describe a change in a measurement or quantity.




                                                                          Example: "There was a noticeable improvement in gas mileage after I
                                                                          replaced my tires."




                                                                          This indicates the improvement was enough to be worth considering, but it does not convey an extreme or surprising amount of improvement.



                                                                          If you want to convey that the significance is just enough to achieve a specific threshold and no more, then sufficient will work.




                                                                          Example: "My exam score was sufficient to ensure I got a B in the
                                                                          class." The implication is that the score was just high enough, not
                                                                          exceptional or perfect.







                                                                          share|improve this answer


























                                                                            1














                                                                            From comments it looks like this is being used in communications with clients. Without knowing more about those clients and how they might interpret terminology it's difficult to come up with an ideal term, but here are a few possible scenarios.



                                                                            If you are talking about features or attributes of something which are important enough that they should be paid attention to in a particular environment or context, relevant can be used.



                                                                            Relevant in this context means a thing is of enough significance that it should not be disregarded, but it does not convey extreme importance. If something is relevant, it needs to be taken into account, but may not be the most important aspect.




                                                                            Example: "Pages two and three of the instructions are relevant to
                                                                            customers in Hawaii only."




                                                                            Noticeable is similar in that it indicates a difference worthy of paying attention to, but not in a dramatic or extreme manner, and is often used to describe a change in a measurement or quantity.




                                                                            Example: "There was a noticeable improvement in gas mileage after I
                                                                            replaced my tires."




                                                                            This indicates the improvement was enough to be worth considering, but it does not convey an extreme or surprising amount of improvement.



                                                                            If you want to convey that the significance is just enough to achieve a specific threshold and no more, then sufficient will work.




                                                                            Example: "My exam score was sufficient to ensure I got a B in the
                                                                            class." The implication is that the score was just high enough, not
                                                                            exceptional or perfect.







                                                                            share|improve this answer
























                                                                              1












                                                                              1








                                                                              1






                                                                              From comments it looks like this is being used in communications with clients. Without knowing more about those clients and how they might interpret terminology it's difficult to come up with an ideal term, but here are a few possible scenarios.



                                                                              If you are talking about features or attributes of something which are important enough that they should be paid attention to in a particular environment or context, relevant can be used.



                                                                              Relevant in this context means a thing is of enough significance that it should not be disregarded, but it does not convey extreme importance. If something is relevant, it needs to be taken into account, but may not be the most important aspect.




                                                                              Example: "Pages two and three of the instructions are relevant to
                                                                              customers in Hawaii only."




                                                                              Noticeable is similar in that it indicates a difference worthy of paying attention to, but not in a dramatic or extreme manner, and is often used to describe a change in a measurement or quantity.




                                                                              Example: "There was a noticeable improvement in gas mileage after I
                                                                              replaced my tires."




                                                                              This indicates the improvement was enough to be worth considering, but it does not convey an extreme or surprising amount of improvement.



                                                                              If you want to convey that the significance is just enough to achieve a specific threshold and no more, then sufficient will work.




                                                                              Example: "My exam score was sufficient to ensure I got a B in the
                                                                              class." The implication is that the score was just high enough, not
                                                                              exceptional or perfect.







                                                                              share|improve this answer












                                                                              From comments it looks like this is being used in communications with clients. Without knowing more about those clients and how they might interpret terminology it's difficult to come up with an ideal term, but here are a few possible scenarios.



                                                                              If you are talking about features or attributes of something which are important enough that they should be paid attention to in a particular environment or context, relevant can be used.



                                                                              Relevant in this context means a thing is of enough significance that it should not be disregarded, but it does not convey extreme importance. If something is relevant, it needs to be taken into account, but may not be the most important aspect.




                                                                              Example: "Pages two and three of the instructions are relevant to
                                                                              customers in Hawaii only."




                                                                              Noticeable is similar in that it indicates a difference worthy of paying attention to, but not in a dramatic or extreme manner, and is often used to describe a change in a measurement or quantity.




                                                                              Example: "There was a noticeable improvement in gas mileage after I
                                                                              replaced my tires."




                                                                              This indicates the improvement was enough to be worth considering, but it does not convey an extreme or surprising amount of improvement.



                                                                              If you want to convey that the significance is just enough to achieve a specific threshold and no more, then sufficient will work.




                                                                              Example: "My exam score was sufficient to ensure I got a B in the
                                                                              class." The implication is that the score was just high enough, not
                                                                              exceptional or perfect.








                                                                              share|improve this answer












                                                                              share|improve this answer



                                                                              share|improve this answer










                                                                              answered 2 days ago









                                                                              barbecue

                                                                              4,4861127




                                                                              4,4861127























                                                                                  1














                                                                                  Not only do you want statistically significant results, you want results that are effectual.




                                                                                  Random House dictionary




                                                                                  effectual: producing or capable of producing an intended effect; adequate





                                                                                  With a sufficiently large sample size, even trivially small effects can be measured with statistical significance. But it sounds like you want the ones that result in a larger effect—that is, the most effectual.






                                                                                  share|improve this answer


























                                                                                    1














                                                                                    Not only do you want statistically significant results, you want results that are effectual.




                                                                                    Random House dictionary




                                                                                    effectual: producing or capable of producing an intended effect; adequate





                                                                                    With a sufficiently large sample size, even trivially small effects can be measured with statistical significance. But it sounds like you want the ones that result in a larger effect—that is, the most effectual.






                                                                                    share|improve this answer
























                                                                                      1












                                                                                      1








                                                                                      1






                                                                                      Not only do you want statistically significant results, you want results that are effectual.




                                                                                      Random House dictionary




                                                                                      effectual: producing or capable of producing an intended effect; adequate





                                                                                      With a sufficiently large sample size, even trivially small effects can be measured with statistical significance. But it sounds like you want the ones that result in a larger effect—that is, the most effectual.






                                                                                      share|improve this answer












                                                                                      Not only do you want statistically significant results, you want results that are effectual.




                                                                                      Random House dictionary




                                                                                      effectual: producing or capable of producing an intended effect; adequate





                                                                                      With a sufficiently large sample size, even trivially small effects can be measured with statistical significance. But it sounds like you want the ones that result in a larger effect—that is, the most effectual.







                                                                                      share|improve this answer












                                                                                      share|improve this answer



                                                                                      share|improve this answer










                                                                                      answered 2 days ago









                                                                                      Daniel Standage

                                                                                      17528




                                                                                      17528























                                                                                          1














                                                                                          Substantial has already been suggested, but I would suggest that substantive would be a better choice. From Merriam-Webster:




                                                                                          : having substance : involving matters of major or practical importance to all concerned




                                                                                          As already noted on substantial, this depends on exactly what you want to say. An alternative would be impactful which seems to better fit what you want than meaningful. Meaningful would more normally be used when there are a variety of ways of measuring meaning. Impactful is more singular. It is full of one impact, not a variety of meanings.



                                                                                          I would find it better than substantial, because it relates more to the importance rather than the size in normal usage. It's also more of a binary choice. Something is either substantive or not. Substantial is more relative and depends more on context. Substantive is generally used in ways that are not modified by words like rather or very.



                                                                                          Substantive has fewer meanings than material, which is a reasonable synonym. Thus, I would prefer it as being more obvious about what was meant.






                                                                                          share|improve this answer


























                                                                                            1














                                                                                            Substantial has already been suggested, but I would suggest that substantive would be a better choice. From Merriam-Webster:




                                                                                            : having substance : involving matters of major or practical importance to all concerned




                                                                                            As already noted on substantial, this depends on exactly what you want to say. An alternative would be impactful which seems to better fit what you want than meaningful. Meaningful would more normally be used when there are a variety of ways of measuring meaning. Impactful is more singular. It is full of one impact, not a variety of meanings.



                                                                                            I would find it better than substantial, because it relates more to the importance rather than the size in normal usage. It's also more of a binary choice. Something is either substantive or not. Substantial is more relative and depends more on context. Substantive is generally used in ways that are not modified by words like rather or very.



                                                                                            Substantive has fewer meanings than material, which is a reasonable synonym. Thus, I would prefer it as being more obvious about what was meant.






                                                                                            share|improve this answer
























                                                                                              1












                                                                                              1








                                                                                              1






                                                                                              Substantial has already been suggested, but I would suggest that substantive would be a better choice. From Merriam-Webster:




                                                                                              : having substance : involving matters of major or practical importance to all concerned




                                                                                              As already noted on substantial, this depends on exactly what you want to say. An alternative would be impactful which seems to better fit what you want than meaningful. Meaningful would more normally be used when there are a variety of ways of measuring meaning. Impactful is more singular. It is full of one impact, not a variety of meanings.



                                                                                              I would find it better than substantial, because it relates more to the importance rather than the size in normal usage. It's also more of a binary choice. Something is either substantive or not. Substantial is more relative and depends more on context. Substantive is generally used in ways that are not modified by words like rather or very.



                                                                                              Substantive has fewer meanings than material, which is a reasonable synonym. Thus, I would prefer it as being more obvious about what was meant.






                                                                                              share|improve this answer












                                                                                              Substantial has already been suggested, but I would suggest that substantive would be a better choice. From Merriam-Webster:




                                                                                              : having substance : involving matters of major or practical importance to all concerned




                                                                                              As already noted on substantial, this depends on exactly what you want to say. An alternative would be impactful which seems to better fit what you want than meaningful. Meaningful would more normally be used when there are a variety of ways of measuring meaning. Impactful is more singular. It is full of one impact, not a variety of meanings.



                                                                                              I would find it better than substantial, because it relates more to the importance rather than the size in normal usage. It's also more of a binary choice. Something is either substantive or not. Substantial is more relative and depends more on context. Substantive is generally used in ways that are not modified by words like rather or very.



                                                                                              Substantive has fewer meanings than material, which is a reasonable synonym. Thus, I would prefer it as being more obvious about what was meant.







                                                                                              share|improve this answer












                                                                                              share|improve this answer



                                                                                              share|improve this answer










                                                                                              answered 10 hours ago









                                                                                              Brythan

                                                                                              1611




                                                                                              1611























                                                                                                  0














                                                                                                  I would suggest conclusive



                                                                                                  Oxford Dictionary




                                                                                                  conclusive



                                                                                                  ADJECTIVE



                                                                                                  1 (of evidence or argument) having or likely to have the effect of proving a case; decisive.



                                                                                                  ‘conclusive evidence’



                                                                                                  ‘the findings were by no means conclusive’







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                                                                                                  • 1




                                                                                                    No. 'Conclusive' wins the argument. 'Significant' merely affects it.
                                                                                                    – Laurence Payne
                                                                                                    2 days ago
















                                                                                                  0














                                                                                                  I would suggest conclusive



                                                                                                  Oxford Dictionary




                                                                                                  conclusive



                                                                                                  ADJECTIVE



                                                                                                  1 (of evidence or argument) having or likely to have the effect of proving a case; decisive.



                                                                                                  ‘conclusive evidence’



                                                                                                  ‘the findings were by no means conclusive’







                                                                                                  share|improve this answer










                                                                                                  New contributor




                                                                                                  Bent is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                                                                                  • 1




                                                                                                    No. 'Conclusive' wins the argument. 'Significant' merely affects it.
                                                                                                    – Laurence Payne
                                                                                                    2 days ago














                                                                                                  0












                                                                                                  0








                                                                                                  0






                                                                                                  I would suggest conclusive



                                                                                                  Oxford Dictionary




                                                                                                  conclusive



                                                                                                  ADJECTIVE



                                                                                                  1 (of evidence or argument) having or likely to have the effect of proving a case; decisive.



                                                                                                  ‘conclusive evidence’



                                                                                                  ‘the findings were by no means conclusive’







                                                                                                  share|improve this answer










                                                                                                  New contributor




                                                                                                  Bent is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                                                                                  I would suggest conclusive



                                                                                                  Oxford Dictionary




                                                                                                  conclusive



                                                                                                  ADJECTIVE



                                                                                                  1 (of evidence or argument) having or likely to have the effect of proving a case; decisive.



                                                                                                  ‘conclusive evidence’



                                                                                                  ‘the findings were by no means conclusive’








                                                                                                  share|improve this answer










                                                                                                  New contributor




                                                                                                  Bent is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                                                                                  share|improve this answer



                                                                                                  share|improve this answer








                                                                                                  edited 2 days ago









                                                                                                  jimm101

                                                                                                  7,25782039




                                                                                                  7,25782039






                                                                                                  New contributor




                                                                                                  Bent is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                                                                                  answered 2 days ago









                                                                                                  Bent

                                                                                                  1012




                                                                                                  1012




                                                                                                  New contributor




                                                                                                  Bent is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                                                                                  New contributor





                                                                                                  Bent is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                                                                                  Bent is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.








                                                                                                  • 1




                                                                                                    No. 'Conclusive' wins the argument. 'Significant' merely affects it.
                                                                                                    – Laurence Payne
                                                                                                    2 days ago














                                                                                                  • 1




                                                                                                    No. 'Conclusive' wins the argument. 'Significant' merely affects it.
                                                                                                    – Laurence Payne
                                                                                                    2 days ago








                                                                                                  1




                                                                                                  1




                                                                                                  No. 'Conclusive' wins the argument. 'Significant' merely affects it.
                                                                                                  – Laurence Payne
                                                                                                  2 days ago




                                                                                                  No. 'Conclusive' wins the argument. 'Significant' merely affects it.
                                                                                                  – Laurence Payne
                                                                                                  2 days ago











                                                                                                  0














                                                                                                  My suggestion is decisive.




                                                                                                  Oxford Dictionaries:



                                                                                                  Decisive

                                                                                                  Settling an issue; producing a definite result.







                                                                                                  share|improve this answer




























                                                                                                    0














                                                                                                    My suggestion is decisive.




                                                                                                    Oxford Dictionaries:



                                                                                                    Decisive

                                                                                                    Settling an issue; producing a definite result.







                                                                                                    share|improve this answer


























                                                                                                      0












                                                                                                      0








                                                                                                      0






                                                                                                      My suggestion is decisive.




                                                                                                      Oxford Dictionaries:



                                                                                                      Decisive

                                                                                                      Settling an issue; producing a definite result.







                                                                                                      share|improve this answer














                                                                                                      My suggestion is decisive.




                                                                                                      Oxford Dictionaries:



                                                                                                      Decisive

                                                                                                      Settling an issue; producing a definite result.








                                                                                                      share|improve this answer














                                                                                                      share|improve this answer



                                                                                                      share|improve this answer








                                                                                                      edited 2 days ago









                                                                                                      V2Blast

                                                                                                      14118




                                                                                                      14118










                                                                                                      answered Jan 1 at 21:51









                                                                                                      Jooya

                                                                                                      7921236




                                                                                                      7921236























                                                                                                          0














                                                                                                          Statisticians distinguish between significance and effect size. While these two things tend to run together, results can be highly significant but show a small effect, while other results can show a big effect yet still be insignificant. Typically a very big sample can yield the former, while a very small sample often results in the latter.



                                                                                                          Thus your proposed sentence might well be worded as



                                                                                                          "We need to find results that show a significant large effect."



                                                                                                          You need significance because insignificant results are of dubious value, even if they look impressive. I do not know a one-word adjective that means exactly "showing a large effect". The nearest I can think of is the word just used—impressive—but it is somewhat imprecise as to just what it describes.






                                                                                                          share|improve this answer


























                                                                                                            0














                                                                                                            Statisticians distinguish between significance and effect size. While these two things tend to run together, results can be highly significant but show a small effect, while other results can show a big effect yet still be insignificant. Typically a very big sample can yield the former, while a very small sample often results in the latter.



                                                                                                            Thus your proposed sentence might well be worded as



                                                                                                            "We need to find results that show a significant large effect."



                                                                                                            You need significance because insignificant results are of dubious value, even if they look impressive. I do not know a one-word adjective that means exactly "showing a large effect". The nearest I can think of is the word just used—impressive—but it is somewhat imprecise as to just what it describes.






                                                                                                            share|improve this answer
























                                                                                                              0












                                                                                                              0








                                                                                                              0






                                                                                                              Statisticians distinguish between significance and effect size. While these two things tend to run together, results can be highly significant but show a small effect, while other results can show a big effect yet still be insignificant. Typically a very big sample can yield the former, while a very small sample often results in the latter.



                                                                                                              Thus your proposed sentence might well be worded as



                                                                                                              "We need to find results that show a significant large effect."



                                                                                                              You need significance because insignificant results are of dubious value, even if they look impressive. I do not know a one-word adjective that means exactly "showing a large effect". The nearest I can think of is the word just used—impressive—but it is somewhat imprecise as to just what it describes.






                                                                                                              share|improve this answer












                                                                                                              Statisticians distinguish between significance and effect size. While these two things tend to run together, results can be highly significant but show a small effect, while other results can show a big effect yet still be insignificant. Typically a very big sample can yield the former, while a very small sample often results in the latter.



                                                                                                              Thus your proposed sentence might well be worded as



                                                                                                              "We need to find results that show a significant large effect."



                                                                                                              You need significance because insignificant results are of dubious value, even if they look impressive. I do not know a one-word adjective that means exactly "showing a large effect". The nearest I can think of is the word just used—impressive—but it is somewhat imprecise as to just what it describes.







                                                                                                              share|improve this answer












                                                                                                              share|improve this answer



                                                                                                              share|improve this answer










                                                                                                              answered yesterday









                                                                                                              John Bentin

                                                                                                              82958




                                                                                                              82958























                                                                                                                  0














                                                                                                                  "Important".



                                                                                                                  A current dictionary defines that as, "of great significance or value", but its earlier meaning (and the way I understand it) is "being of consequence" -- see also one of the meanings of the noun "import", which is given as, "the implicit meaning or significance of something".






                                                                                                                  share|improve this answer


























                                                                                                                    0














                                                                                                                    "Important".



                                                                                                                    A current dictionary defines that as, "of great significance or value", but its earlier meaning (and the way I understand it) is "being of consequence" -- see also one of the meanings of the noun "import", which is given as, "the implicit meaning or significance of something".






                                                                                                                    share|improve this answer
























                                                                                                                      0












                                                                                                                      0








                                                                                                                      0






                                                                                                                      "Important".



                                                                                                                      A current dictionary defines that as, "of great significance or value", but its earlier meaning (and the way I understand it) is "being of consequence" -- see also one of the meanings of the noun "import", which is given as, "the implicit meaning or significance of something".






                                                                                                                      share|improve this answer












                                                                                                                      "Important".



                                                                                                                      A current dictionary defines that as, "of great significance or value", but its earlier meaning (and the way I understand it) is "being of consequence" -- see also one of the meanings of the noun "import", which is given as, "the implicit meaning or significance of something".







                                                                                                                      share|improve this answer












                                                                                                                      share|improve this answer



                                                                                                                      share|improve this answer










                                                                                                                      answered 15 hours ago









                                                                                                                      ChrisW

                                                                                                                      4,0091322




                                                                                                                      4,0091322























                                                                                                                          0















                                                                                                                          "We need to find results that are valid.




                                                                                                                          valid TFD




                                                                                                                          sound; just; well-founded.



                                                                                                                          producing the desired result; effective: a valid remedy.



                                                                                                                          having force, weight, or cogency; authoritative.







                                                                                                                          share|improve this answer


























                                                                                                                            0















                                                                                                                            "We need to find results that are valid.




                                                                                                                            valid TFD




                                                                                                                            sound; just; well-founded.



                                                                                                                            producing the desired result; effective: a valid remedy.



                                                                                                                            having force, weight, or cogency; authoritative.







                                                                                                                            share|improve this answer
























                                                                                                                              0












                                                                                                                              0








                                                                                                                              0







                                                                                                                              "We need to find results that are valid.




                                                                                                                              valid TFD




                                                                                                                              sound; just; well-founded.



                                                                                                                              producing the desired result; effective: a valid remedy.



                                                                                                                              having force, weight, or cogency; authoritative.







                                                                                                                              share|improve this answer













                                                                                                                              "We need to find results that are valid.




                                                                                                                              valid TFD




                                                                                                                              sound; just; well-founded.



                                                                                                                              producing the desired result; effective: a valid remedy.



                                                                                                                              having force, weight, or cogency; authoritative.








                                                                                                                              share|improve this answer












                                                                                                                              share|improve this answer



                                                                                                                              share|improve this answer










                                                                                                                              answered 8 hours ago









                                                                                                                              lbf

                                                                                                                              17.8k21864




                                                                                                                              17.8k21864























                                                                                                                                  0














                                                                                                                                  Altohugh you cite statistics, it is not completely clear if the context in which you would put the word you seek is some scientific or technical paper.



                                                                                                                                  Assuming the context is not so specific, I think a common word that may be interpreted, in general contexts, as "something more than significant", is remarkable.




                                                                                                                                  We need to find results that are remarkable.







                                                                                                                                  share|improve this answer


























                                                                                                                                    0














                                                                                                                                    Altohugh you cite statistics, it is not completely clear if the context in which you would put the word you seek is some scientific or technical paper.



                                                                                                                                    Assuming the context is not so specific, I think a common word that may be interpreted, in general contexts, as "something more than significant", is remarkable.




                                                                                                                                    We need to find results that are remarkable.







                                                                                                                                    share|improve this answer
























                                                                                                                                      0












                                                                                                                                      0








                                                                                                                                      0






                                                                                                                                      Altohugh you cite statistics, it is not completely clear if the context in which you would put the word you seek is some scientific or technical paper.



                                                                                                                                      Assuming the context is not so specific, I think a common word that may be interpreted, in general contexts, as "something more than significant", is remarkable.




                                                                                                                                      We need to find results that are remarkable.







                                                                                                                                      share|improve this answer












                                                                                                                                      Altohugh you cite statistics, it is not completely clear if the context in which you would put the word you seek is some scientific or technical paper.



                                                                                                                                      Assuming the context is not so specific, I think a common word that may be interpreted, in general contexts, as "something more than significant", is remarkable.




                                                                                                                                      We need to find results that are remarkable.








                                                                                                                                      share|improve this answer












                                                                                                                                      share|improve this answer



                                                                                                                                      share|improve this answer










                                                                                                                                      answered 2 hours ago









                                                                                                                                      Lorenzo Donati

                                                                                                                                      21819




                                                                                                                                      21819























                                                                                                                                          -1














                                                                                                                                          We need to find results that are unequivocal.



                                                                                                                                          unequivocal results as in




                                                                                                                                          Given this possible outcome, it is clearly essential that if the diagnosis is to rest only on the result of the screening test, this should provide accurate and unequivocal results.




                                                                                                                                          Collins Dictionary




                                                                                                                                          unequivocal

                                                                                                                                          not ambiguous; plain




                                                                                                                                          Merriam-Webster




                                                                                                                                          leaving no doubt : CLEAR, UNAMBIGUOUS




                                                                                                                                          Oxford Dictionaries




                                                                                                                                          Leaving no doubt; unambiguous.



                                                                                                                                          ‘Asked if either of those substances were relevant to the treatment of colic his answer is precise and unequivocal.’







                                                                                                                                          share|improve this answer

















                                                                                                                                          • 2




                                                                                                                                            There are so many things that are significant, yet ambiguous.
                                                                                                                                            – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago












                                                                                                                                          • @michael.hor257k I would use "unequivocal" to say that something is "enough to make a difference" In fact, the OP stresses that there's a "need to find" results that make a difference. This suggests urgency and reliability. If results are significant, noteworthy, non-trivial, etc. they could still be ambiguous, and inconclusive.
                                                                                                                                            – Mari-Lou A
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago












                                                                                                                                          • If something is unequivocal, then it's not ambiguous (says so right there in the definitions you have quoted).
                                                                                                                                            – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago










                                                                                                                                          • @michael.hor257k Which is why I suggest that unequivocal is probably more compelling than several others that have been offered.
                                                                                                                                            – Mari-Lou A
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago










                                                                                                                                          • There are many terms offered here that suffer from the same flaw: they are much more "significant" that just significant.
                                                                                                                                            – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago
















                                                                                                                                          -1














                                                                                                                                          We need to find results that are unequivocal.



                                                                                                                                          unequivocal results as in




                                                                                                                                          Given this possible outcome, it is clearly essential that if the diagnosis is to rest only on the result of the screening test, this should provide accurate and unequivocal results.




                                                                                                                                          Collins Dictionary




                                                                                                                                          unequivocal

                                                                                                                                          not ambiguous; plain




                                                                                                                                          Merriam-Webster




                                                                                                                                          leaving no doubt : CLEAR, UNAMBIGUOUS




                                                                                                                                          Oxford Dictionaries




                                                                                                                                          Leaving no doubt; unambiguous.



                                                                                                                                          ‘Asked if either of those substances were relevant to the treatment of colic his answer is precise and unequivocal.’







                                                                                                                                          share|improve this answer

















                                                                                                                                          • 2




                                                                                                                                            There are so many things that are significant, yet ambiguous.
                                                                                                                                            – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago












                                                                                                                                          • @michael.hor257k I would use "unequivocal" to say that something is "enough to make a difference" In fact, the OP stresses that there's a "need to find" results that make a difference. This suggests urgency and reliability. If results are significant, noteworthy, non-trivial, etc. they could still be ambiguous, and inconclusive.
                                                                                                                                            – Mari-Lou A
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago












                                                                                                                                          • If something is unequivocal, then it's not ambiguous (says so right there in the definitions you have quoted).
                                                                                                                                            – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago










                                                                                                                                          • @michael.hor257k Which is why I suggest that unequivocal is probably more compelling than several others that have been offered.
                                                                                                                                            – Mari-Lou A
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago










                                                                                                                                          • There are many terms offered here that suffer from the same flaw: they are much more "significant" that just significant.
                                                                                                                                            – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago














                                                                                                                                          -1












                                                                                                                                          -1








                                                                                                                                          -1






                                                                                                                                          We need to find results that are unequivocal.



                                                                                                                                          unequivocal results as in




                                                                                                                                          Given this possible outcome, it is clearly essential that if the diagnosis is to rest only on the result of the screening test, this should provide accurate and unequivocal results.




                                                                                                                                          Collins Dictionary




                                                                                                                                          unequivocal

                                                                                                                                          not ambiguous; plain




                                                                                                                                          Merriam-Webster




                                                                                                                                          leaving no doubt : CLEAR, UNAMBIGUOUS




                                                                                                                                          Oxford Dictionaries




                                                                                                                                          Leaving no doubt; unambiguous.



                                                                                                                                          ‘Asked if either of those substances were relevant to the treatment of colic his answer is precise and unequivocal.’







                                                                                                                                          share|improve this answer












                                                                                                                                          We need to find results that are unequivocal.



                                                                                                                                          unequivocal results as in




                                                                                                                                          Given this possible outcome, it is clearly essential that if the diagnosis is to rest only on the result of the screening test, this should provide accurate and unequivocal results.




                                                                                                                                          Collins Dictionary




                                                                                                                                          unequivocal

                                                                                                                                          not ambiguous; plain




                                                                                                                                          Merriam-Webster




                                                                                                                                          leaving no doubt : CLEAR, UNAMBIGUOUS




                                                                                                                                          Oxford Dictionaries




                                                                                                                                          Leaving no doubt; unambiguous.



                                                                                                                                          ‘Asked if either of those substances were relevant to the treatment of colic his answer is precise and unequivocal.’








                                                                                                                                          share|improve this answer












                                                                                                                                          share|improve this answer



                                                                                                                                          share|improve this answer










                                                                                                                                          answered 2 days ago









                                                                                                                                          Mari-Lou A

                                                                                                                                          61.8k55218456




                                                                                                                                          61.8k55218456








                                                                                                                                          • 2




                                                                                                                                            There are so many things that are significant, yet ambiguous.
                                                                                                                                            – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago












                                                                                                                                          • @michael.hor257k I would use "unequivocal" to say that something is "enough to make a difference" In fact, the OP stresses that there's a "need to find" results that make a difference. This suggests urgency and reliability. If results are significant, noteworthy, non-trivial, etc. they could still be ambiguous, and inconclusive.
                                                                                                                                            – Mari-Lou A
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago












                                                                                                                                          • If something is unequivocal, then it's not ambiguous (says so right there in the definitions you have quoted).
                                                                                                                                            – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago










                                                                                                                                          • @michael.hor257k Which is why I suggest that unequivocal is probably more compelling than several others that have been offered.
                                                                                                                                            – Mari-Lou A
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago










                                                                                                                                          • There are many terms offered here that suffer from the same flaw: they are much more "significant" that just significant.
                                                                                                                                            – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago














                                                                                                                                          • 2




                                                                                                                                            There are so many things that are significant, yet ambiguous.
                                                                                                                                            – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago












                                                                                                                                          • @michael.hor257k I would use "unequivocal" to say that something is "enough to make a difference" In fact, the OP stresses that there's a "need to find" results that make a difference. This suggests urgency and reliability. If results are significant, noteworthy, non-trivial, etc. they could still be ambiguous, and inconclusive.
                                                                                                                                            – Mari-Lou A
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago












                                                                                                                                          • If something is unequivocal, then it's not ambiguous (says so right there in the definitions you have quoted).
                                                                                                                                            – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago










                                                                                                                                          • @michael.hor257k Which is why I suggest that unequivocal is probably more compelling than several others that have been offered.
                                                                                                                                            – Mari-Lou A
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago










                                                                                                                                          • There are many terms offered here that suffer from the same flaw: they are much more "significant" that just significant.
                                                                                                                                            – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                            2 days ago








                                                                                                                                          2




                                                                                                                                          2




                                                                                                                                          There are so many things that are significant, yet ambiguous.
                                                                                                                                          – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                          2 days ago






                                                                                                                                          There are so many things that are significant, yet ambiguous.
                                                                                                                                          – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                          2 days ago














                                                                                                                                          @michael.hor257k I would use "unequivocal" to say that something is "enough to make a difference" In fact, the OP stresses that there's a "need to find" results that make a difference. This suggests urgency and reliability. If results are significant, noteworthy, non-trivial, etc. they could still be ambiguous, and inconclusive.
                                                                                                                                          – Mari-Lou A
                                                                                                                                          2 days ago






                                                                                                                                          @michael.hor257k I would use "unequivocal" to say that something is "enough to make a difference" In fact, the OP stresses that there's a "need to find" results that make a difference. This suggests urgency and reliability. If results are significant, noteworthy, non-trivial, etc. they could still be ambiguous, and inconclusive.
                                                                                                                                          – Mari-Lou A
                                                                                                                                          2 days ago














                                                                                                                                          If something is unequivocal, then it's not ambiguous (says so right there in the definitions you have quoted).
                                                                                                                                          – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                          2 days ago




                                                                                                                                          If something is unequivocal, then it's not ambiguous (says so right there in the definitions you have quoted).
                                                                                                                                          – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                          2 days ago












                                                                                                                                          @michael.hor257k Which is why I suggest that unequivocal is probably more compelling than several others that have been offered.
                                                                                                                                          – Mari-Lou A
                                                                                                                                          2 days ago




                                                                                                                                          @michael.hor257k Which is why I suggest that unequivocal is probably more compelling than several others that have been offered.
                                                                                                                                          – Mari-Lou A
                                                                                                                                          2 days ago












                                                                                                                                          There are many terms offered here that suffer from the same flaw: they are much more "significant" that just significant.
                                                                                                                                          – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                          2 days ago




                                                                                                                                          There are many terms offered here that suffer from the same flaw: they are much more "significant" that just significant.
                                                                                                                                          – michael.hor257k
                                                                                                                                          2 days ago











                                                                                                                                          -1














                                                                                                                                          Consider: Groundbreaking




                                                                                                                                          originating or pioneering a new endeavor, field of inquiry, or the like: Pasteur's groundbreaking work in bacteriology.




                                                                                                                                          source






                                                                                                                                          share|improve this answer


























                                                                                                                                            -1














                                                                                                                                            Consider: Groundbreaking




                                                                                                                                            originating or pioneering a new endeavor, field of inquiry, or the like: Pasteur's groundbreaking work in bacteriology.




                                                                                                                                            source






                                                                                                                                            share|improve this answer
























                                                                                                                                              -1












                                                                                                                                              -1








                                                                                                                                              -1






                                                                                                                                              Consider: Groundbreaking




                                                                                                                                              originating or pioneering a new endeavor, field of inquiry, or the like: Pasteur's groundbreaking work in bacteriology.




                                                                                                                                              source






                                                                                                                                              share|improve this answer












                                                                                                                                              Consider: Groundbreaking




                                                                                                                                              originating or pioneering a new endeavor, field of inquiry, or the like: Pasteur's groundbreaking work in bacteriology.




                                                                                                                                              source







                                                                                                                                              share|improve this answer












                                                                                                                                              share|improve this answer



                                                                                                                                              share|improve this answer










                                                                                                                                              answered 2 days ago









                                                                                                                                              Jordan.J.D

                                                                                                                                              43538




                                                                                                                                              43538























                                                                                                                                                  -1














                                                                                                                                                  Another word which may work here is worthwhile (in the sense of worth considering).




                                                                                                                                                  "We need to find results that are worthwhile".




                                                                                                                                                  ODO:




                                                                                                                                                  worthwhile

                                                                                                                                                  (also worth one's while, worth while)
                                                                                                                                                  ADJECTIVE

                                                                                                                                                  Worth the time, money, or effort spent; of value or importance.



                                                                                                                                                  ‘Questions were thrown at me on a subject until I could give no more
                                                                                                                                                  worthwhile answers.’







                                                                                                                                                  share|improve this answer


























                                                                                                                                                    -1














                                                                                                                                                    Another word which may work here is worthwhile (in the sense of worth considering).




                                                                                                                                                    "We need to find results that are worthwhile".




                                                                                                                                                    ODO:




                                                                                                                                                    worthwhile

                                                                                                                                                    (also worth one's while, worth while)
                                                                                                                                                    ADJECTIVE

                                                                                                                                                    Worth the time, money, or effort spent; of value or importance.



                                                                                                                                                    ‘Questions were thrown at me on a subject until I could give no more
                                                                                                                                                    worthwhile answers.’







                                                                                                                                                    share|improve this answer
























                                                                                                                                                      -1












                                                                                                                                                      -1








                                                                                                                                                      -1






                                                                                                                                                      Another word which may work here is worthwhile (in the sense of worth considering).




                                                                                                                                                      "We need to find results that are worthwhile".




                                                                                                                                                      ODO:




                                                                                                                                                      worthwhile

                                                                                                                                                      (also worth one's while, worth while)
                                                                                                                                                      ADJECTIVE

                                                                                                                                                      Worth the time, money, or effort spent; of value or importance.



                                                                                                                                                      ‘Questions were thrown at me on a subject until I could give no more
                                                                                                                                                      worthwhile answers.’







                                                                                                                                                      share|improve this answer












                                                                                                                                                      Another word which may work here is worthwhile (in the sense of worth considering).




                                                                                                                                                      "We need to find results that are worthwhile".




                                                                                                                                                      ODO:




                                                                                                                                                      worthwhile

                                                                                                                                                      (also worth one's while, worth while)
                                                                                                                                                      ADJECTIVE

                                                                                                                                                      Worth the time, money, or effort spent; of value or importance.



                                                                                                                                                      ‘Questions were thrown at me on a subject until I could give no more
                                                                                                                                                      worthwhile answers.’








                                                                                                                                                      share|improve this answer












                                                                                                                                                      share|improve this answer



                                                                                                                                                      share|improve this answer










                                                                                                                                                      answered yesterday









                                                                                                                                                      alwayslearning

                                                                                                                                                      25.8k63794




                                                                                                                                                      25.8k63794























                                                                                                                                                          -2














                                                                                                                                                          Perhaps profound:




                                                                                                                                                          being or going far beneath what is superficial, external, or obvious:




                                                                                                                                                          Source






                                                                                                                                                          share|improve this answer


























                                                                                                                                                            -2














                                                                                                                                                            Perhaps profound:




                                                                                                                                                            being or going far beneath what is superficial, external, or obvious:




                                                                                                                                                            Source






                                                                                                                                                            share|improve this answer
























                                                                                                                                                              -2












                                                                                                                                                              -2








                                                                                                                                                              -2






                                                                                                                                                              Perhaps profound:




                                                                                                                                                              being or going far beneath what is superficial, external, or obvious:




                                                                                                                                                              Source






                                                                                                                                                              share|improve this answer












                                                                                                                                                              Perhaps profound:




                                                                                                                                                              being or going far beneath what is superficial, external, or obvious:




                                                                                                                                                              Source







                                                                                                                                                              share|improve this answer












                                                                                                                                                              share|improve this answer



                                                                                                                                                              share|improve this answer










                                                                                                                                                              answered Jan 2 at 4:30









                                                                                                                                                              Phill

                                                                                                                                                              46139




                                                                                                                                                              46139























                                                                                                                                                                  -2














                                                                                                                                                                  Compelling would be my choice in this case.






                                                                                                                                                                  share|improve this answer








                                                                                                                                                                  New contributor




                                                                                                                                                                  Hayes is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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                                                                                                                                                                  • 3




                                                                                                                                                                    Hi Hayes, welcome to EL&U. This is certainly a compelling solution, but it's too short: the system has flagged it as "low-quality because of its length and content." An answer on EL&U is expected to be authoritative, detailed, and explain why it is correct. Can I suggest you edit your answer to provide a relevant published definition of compelling (linked to the source) and why you think it fits the sentence? For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
                                                                                                                                                                    – Chappo
                                                                                                                                                                    2 days ago
















                                                                                                                                                                  -2














                                                                                                                                                                  Compelling would be my choice in this case.






                                                                                                                                                                  share|improve this answer








                                                                                                                                                                  New contributor




                                                                                                                                                                  Hayes is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                                                                                                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.














                                                                                                                                                                  • 3




                                                                                                                                                                    Hi Hayes, welcome to EL&U. This is certainly a compelling solution, but it's too short: the system has flagged it as "low-quality because of its length and content." An answer on EL&U is expected to be authoritative, detailed, and explain why it is correct. Can I suggest you edit your answer to provide a relevant published definition of compelling (linked to the source) and why you think it fits the sentence? For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
                                                                                                                                                                    – Chappo
                                                                                                                                                                    2 days ago














                                                                                                                                                                  -2












                                                                                                                                                                  -2








                                                                                                                                                                  -2






                                                                                                                                                                  Compelling would be my choice in this case.






                                                                                                                                                                  share|improve this answer








                                                                                                                                                                  New contributor




                                                                                                                                                                  Hayes is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                                                                                                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                                                                                                                                                  Compelling would be my choice in this case.







                                                                                                                                                                  share|improve this answer








                                                                                                                                                                  New contributor




                                                                                                                                                                  Hayes is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                                                                                                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                                                                                                                                                  share|improve this answer



                                                                                                                                                                  share|improve this answer






                                                                                                                                                                  New contributor




                                                                                                                                                                  Hayes is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                                                                                                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                                                                                                                                                  answered 2 days ago









                                                                                                                                                                  Hayes

                                                                                                                                                                  1




                                                                                                                                                                  1




                                                                                                                                                                  New contributor




                                                                                                                                                                  Hayes is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                                                                                                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.





                                                                                                                                                                  New contributor





                                                                                                                                                                  Hayes is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                                                                                                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.






                                                                                                                                                                  Hayes is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                                                                                                                                                  Check out our Code of Conduct.








                                                                                                                                                                  • 3




                                                                                                                                                                    Hi Hayes, welcome to EL&U. This is certainly a compelling solution, but it's too short: the system has flagged it as "low-quality because of its length and content." An answer on EL&U is expected to be authoritative, detailed, and explain why it is correct. Can I suggest you edit your answer to provide a relevant published definition of compelling (linked to the source) and why you think it fits the sentence? For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
                                                                                                                                                                    – Chappo
                                                                                                                                                                    2 days ago














                                                                                                                                                                  • 3




                                                                                                                                                                    Hi Hayes, welcome to EL&U. This is certainly a compelling solution, but it's too short: the system has flagged it as "low-quality because of its length and content." An answer on EL&U is expected to be authoritative, detailed, and explain why it is correct. Can I suggest you edit your answer to provide a relevant published definition of compelling (linked to the source) and why you think it fits the sentence? For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
                                                                                                                                                                    – Chappo
                                                                                                                                                                    2 days ago








                                                                                                                                                                  3




                                                                                                                                                                  3




                                                                                                                                                                  Hi Hayes, welcome to EL&U. This is certainly a compelling solution, but it's too short: the system has flagged it as "low-quality because of its length and content." An answer on EL&U is expected to be authoritative, detailed, and explain why it is correct. Can I suggest you edit your answer to provide a relevant published definition of compelling (linked to the source) and why you think it fits the sentence? For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
                                                                                                                                                                  – Chappo
                                                                                                                                                                  2 days ago




                                                                                                                                                                  Hi Hayes, welcome to EL&U. This is certainly a compelling solution, but it's too short: the system has flagged it as "low-quality because of its length and content." An answer on EL&U is expected to be authoritative, detailed, and explain why it is correct. Can I suggest you edit your answer to provide a relevant published definition of compelling (linked to the source) and why you think it fits the sentence? For further guidance, see How to Answer and take the EL&U Tour :-)
                                                                                                                                                                  – Chappo
                                                                                                                                                                  2 days ago





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