significant other

Noun

significant other (plural significant others)

1. One's exclusive romantic partner.
   • 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.2000 March 9, “Couples Working Different Shifts, Union Poll Finds”, in Deseret News, retrieved 27 Oct 2013, page D7
   • More than half (57 percent) of consumers think it would be wonderfully romantic if their significant other booked tickets for a surprise international trip.2006 February 12, Michelle Singletary, “Love and money go hand in hand”, in Boston Globe, retrieved 27 Oct 2013

   Synonyms:

   better half, other half, partner, s/o, SO

2. A person with whom one has an important bond of some kind.
   • 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.1983 June 21, William E. Geist, “High Schools Struggle with Coach Shortage”, in 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.1985 December 14, Katherine Bishop, “Ward 5B: A Model of Care for AIDS”, in New York Times, retrieved 27 Oct 2013