Merkittävää

Merkittävä is a Finnish adjective meaning significant, notable, or important. It is used to describe people, events, findings, or results that stand out because of their impact or importance. In everyday language, one might say “merkittävä ero” (a significant difference) or “merkittävä saavutus” (a notable achievement). The adverb form is merkittävästi, and the comparative and superlative forms follow typical Finnish adjective patterns: merkittävä, merkittävämpi, merkittävin (singular) or merkittävimpiä (plural).

In science and statistics, merkittävä is commonly used to translate “significant.” The noun form merkitsevyys or the phrase tilastollinen merkitsevyys expresses statistical significance, and one may speak of a “tilastollisesti merkitsevä ero.” This usage conveys that the observed effect is unlikely to be due to chance according to a chosen threshold, such as a p-value.

Etymology and related terms reflect its sense of meaning and importance. The word is linked to merkki (sign) and merkitys (meaning or significance), with the core idea being something that carries weight or stands out as important.

Common synonyms include tärkeä, huomattava, and merkityksellinen, each carrying slightly different nuance but overlapping in meaning. Merkittävä remains widely used across formal, academic, media, and everyday Finnish to denote noteworthy importance or impact.