significant other
Significant other (noun) means the person someone is in a long-term romantic relationship with, named this way when the speaker does not want to specify whether they are a husband, wife, partner, girlfriend or boyfriend. Example: “Staff are welcome to bring a significant other to the Christmas dinner.”
How to use significant other
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe person you are with.
Deliberately neutral about marriage and gender, which makes it useful on invitations, forms and at work. Sometimes abbreviated SO online.
Use it when you do not know, or do not need to state, the exact status of someone's relationship.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Staff are welcome to bring a _____ to the Christmas dinner.
Etymology
Originally a term from social psychology for any person whose opinion strongly shapes one's sense of self, later narrowed in everyday use to a romantic partner.
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Rhymes for significant other
See all rhymes for significant other →Frequently asked questions
Does significant other mean married?
Not necessarily. It covers spouses, live-in partners and long-term boyfriends or girlfriends alike. That vagueness is the point of the phrase.
What does SO mean in a text message?
In relationship contexts SO is short for significant other, as in "my SO hates that film". Elsewhere online it can just be the word so, so read it from context.
What is the meaning of significant other?
"significant other" (noun) means the person someone is in a long-term romantic relationship with, named this way when the speaker does not want to specify whether they are a husband, wife, partner, girlfriend or boyfriend.
What is another word for significant other?
Other words for "significant other" include partner, other half, spouse, better half.