English

Noun

significant other ‎(plural significant others)

1. One's romantic partner, regardless of marital status or gender.
   • 2000 March 9, "Couples Working Different Shifts, Union Poll Finds," Deseret News, p. D7 (retrieved 27 Oct 2013):

     Almost half of working women who are married or live with a partner are seeing their significant other only in passing because the two work different shifts, an AFL-CIO poll found.

   • 2006 Feb. 12, Michelle Singletary, "Love and money go hand in hand," Boston Globe (retrieved 27 Oct 2013):

     More than half (57 percent) of consumers think it would be wonderfully romantic if their significant other booked tickets for a surprise international trip.

2. A person with whom one has an important bond of some kind.
   • 1983 June 21, William E. Geist, "High Schools Struggle with Coach Shortage," New York Times (retrieved 27 Oct 2013):

     Dr. Nogueira said it was always preferable to have coaches drawn from a school's staff because a coach "is a significant other" to a student.

   • 1985 Dec. 14, Katherine Bishop, "Ward 5B: A Model of Care for AIDS," New York Times (retrieved 27 Oct 2013):

     As in the rest of the hospital, a family member or "significant other" such as a lover or close friend, is allowed to spend the night in a patient's room on a cot.

   • 1989 Dec. 26, Graham Vink, "Not At Home On The Range‎," Spokesman-Review, p. F1 (retrieved 27 Oct 2013):

     If your spouse, children or other significant others are still whining about all those holiday leftovers you made them eat, maybe it's time to spruce up your culinary skills.

Synonyms

• (romantic partner): better half, other half, partner, s/o

Hyponyms

• (romantic partner): boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, spouse, wife

Derived terms

• (romantic partner): s/o (abbreviation)

Translations