What does "signature" mean?
A person's name, written by that person, used as identification or to signify approval of accompanying material, such as a legal contract.
Signature
/ˈsɪɡnət͡ʃɚ/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person's name, written by that person, used as identification or to signify approval of accompanying material, such as a legal contract.
- Grammar: signature is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: key signature, accent, accent mark, acceptance.
- Useful contrasts: common feature, generic, no time signature.
- Usage evidence: Please return one set to us with your signature.
How to use "signature"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "signature" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "signature" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "signature" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "signature" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "signature" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "key signature" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "signature", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person's name, written by that person, used as identification or to signify approval of accompanying material, such as a legal contract.
"Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language […] his clerks […] understood him very well. If he had written a love letter, or a farce, or a ballade, or a story, no one, either clerks, or friends, or compositors, would have understood anything but a word here and a word there. For his signature, however, that was different."
- 2 a distinguishing style wordnet
- 3 An act of signing one's name; an act of producing a signature.
"IN COMMENTS during signature of the bill yesterday during “Agriculture Day” at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Thompson agreed with farmers that land needs to be protected."
- 4 a sheet with several pages printed on it; it folds to page size and is bound with other signatures to form a book wordnet
- 5 The part of a doctor’s prescription containing directions for the patient.
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 your name written in your own handwriting wordnet
- 7 Signs on the stave indicating key and tempo, composed of the key signature and the time signature.
- 8 the sharps or flats that follow the clef and indicate the key wordnet
- 9 A group of four (or a multiple of four) sheets printed such that, when folded, they become a section of a book.
- 10 a melody used to identify a performer or a dance band or radio/tv program wordnet
- 11 A pattern used for matching the identity of a virus, the parameter types of a method, etc.
- 12 Data attached to a message that guarantees that the message originated from its claimed source.
- 13 A mark or sign of implication. figuratively
"the natural and indelible signature of God, which human souls […] are supposed to be stamped with"
- 14 A distinguishing feature or product.
"A great beginning is the goose-liver terrine with truffles, one of the chef's signatures."
- 15 A tuple specifying the sign of coefficients in any diagonal form of a quadratic form.
- 16 A resemblance between the external character of a disease and those of some physical agent, for instance, that existing between the red skin of scarlet fever and a red cloth; supposed to indicate this agent in the treatment of the disease. obsolete
- 17 Text (or images, etc.) appended to a user's emails, newsgroup posts, forum posts, etc. as a way of adding a personal touch or including contact details. Internet
"Your signature must not exceed three lines of text, or 600 pixels in height."
Adjective
- 1 Distinctive, characteristic, indicative of identity. not-comparable, usually
"Rabbit in mustard sauce is my signature dish."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Please return one set to us with your signature."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "signature"?
Common synonyms include: key signature, accent, accent mark, acceptance, accommodation, acknowledgment.
How do you use "signature" in a sentence?
Please return one set to us with your signature.
How do you pronounce "signature"?
Pronounced /ˈsɪɡnət͡ʃɚ/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French signature, or from Medieval Latin signātūra, future active periphrastic of verb signāre from signum (“sign”), + -tūra, feminine of -tūrus, future active periphrastic suffix. Displaced native Old English handseten (literally “hand setting”).