a significant observer

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a significant observer" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe someone who plays an important role in observing or monitoring a situation, event, or phenomenon. Example: "As a significant observer of the political landscape, her insights were highly valued during the discussions."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

Ideally, in order to avoid a significant observer effect the components of a monitoring tool must be small and unobtrusive.

Journal of Cloud Computing

In line with our expectations, there was a significant observer sex × participant sex interaction, F 1, 89) = 4.04, p = .05, η p 2 = .05.05

Archives of Sexual Behavior

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Direct observation is an alternative method, but can result in significant observer and provider bias.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Despite significant observer variability, nuclear medicine still, to a large extent, depends on the subjective decision-making of a single physician [13, 14].

EJNMMI Physics

And there's the reaction to quality pitches when the significant observer behind the plate considers the pitch less than quality.

The New York Times - Sports

Social Relations Model analyses revealed significant observer accuracy for narcissism, but not for psychopathy or Machiavellianism.

Journal of Research in Personality

Two sub-models were created by adding constraints to the basic model (Equation 1) to test whether there was significant observer bias and significant differences in ordinal category widths for between and within observers.

BMC Veterinary Research

Neijenhuis et al. [ 10] found good repeatability when examining for teat end calluses by using a photo guide, and the clinical measurements, which were guided by illustrations on the data sheet, had no significant observer differences.

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

A two-way mixed design ANOVA including Race of the face and Culture of the observer as respectively within- and between-subjects variables revealed a significant interaction: observers of both cultures were more accurate (d') in judging familiarity for same- than other-race faces (F 1, 26) = 12.86, p = .001, η2 = 0.330) (Figure 1).

Plosone

The observed performance may indicate that grading is a system too complex to be predicted with a handful of proteins or that molecularly diverse tumors are not identically classified, especially since the current grading system suffers from a significant inter-observer variability (Chandler & Houlston, 2008).

EMBO Molecular Medicine

However, the proposed measure assesses disagreement only between two observers, which presents a significant limitation in observer agreement studies.

BMC Medical Research Methodology

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "a significant observer", ensure that the context clearly establishes the importance or impact of the observer's role or observations. Specify what makes the observer significant.

Common error

Avoid using "a significant observer" if the observer's role is merely passive or lacks real impact. Ensure the significance is justifiable and demonstrable within the context.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a significant observer" functions as a noun phrase, where 'significant' modifies the noun 'observer'. It identifies someone whose observation holds importance or influence. As Ludwig AI suggests, it describes a key role in observing events.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a significant observer" is a grammatically correct phrase used to describe someone whose observation carries importance or influence. Ludwig AI confirms its usability. While relatively infrequent, the phrase appears in both scientific and news media contexts. Related phrases include "a notable onlooker" and "an important monitor". When using this phrase, ensure the observer's significance is clearly justified within the context. Though infrequent and with restricted use cases, the sources available confirm it's correctness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

an important monitor

Substitutes 'significant' with 'important' and 'observer' with 'monitor', highlighting the role of oversight.

a notable onlooker

Replaces 'significant' with 'notable' and 'observer' with 'onlooker', emphasizing visibility and presence.

a key witness

Replaces 'significant observer' with 'key witness', emphasizing the importance of someone who saw an event.

a crucial spectator

Uses 'crucial' instead of 'significant' and 'spectator' instead of 'observer', stressing the critical nature of the observing role.

a prominent evaluator

Changes 'significant' to 'prominent' and 'observer' to 'evaluator', focusing on the person's role in assessing something.

a meaningful overseer

Emphasizes the person as 'meaningful', which means important, and replaced the term 'observer' with 'overseer' indicating a position of authority.

a major player in observation

Rephrases to highlight the importance of someone playing a major role in the act of observing.

a relevant surveyor

Replaces 'significant' with 'relevant' and 'observer' with 'surveyor', focusing on relevance and careful examination.

a central figure watching

Emphasizes the role as a central figure and replaces 'observer' with 'watching', simplifying the language.

an influential watcher

Combines the ideas of influence and watching, rather than observing.

FAQs

In what kind of context can I use "a significant observer"?

You can use "a significant observer" in contexts where someone's observation carries weight or influence, such as in scientific studies, political events, or social dynamics. The observer's insights should be valuable or impactful.

What's a more formal alternative to "a significant observer"?

A more formal alternative could be "a prominent evaluator" or "an important monitor", depending on the specific role and context.

How does "a significant observer" differ from "a casual observer"?

"A significant observer" implies that the observer's perspective or actions matter, while "a casual observer" suggests someone who is simply watching without particular importance or expertise. A significant observer's view is influential or carries weight.

What can I say instead of "a significant observer" in a legal context?

In a legal context, alternatives like "a key witness" or "a notable onlooker" might be more appropriate, as they emphasize the observer's role in providing evidence or insights relevant to the case.