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Glite Dictionary
significant public interest

significant public interest

3.5
A large amount of attention and worry from many people about an event or issue
  • noun
translation icon : interés público significativo
  • The documentary film sparked significant public interest, leading to nationwide discussions about the issue.

Examples

  • In FY 2010, of those more than 138,000 requests processed, approximately one half of one percent were deemed 'significant' by career FOIA officers according to standards established at the Department in 2006 regarding major FOIA requests that may have a significant public interest.

    Blog text (29)

  • Though there were some North American captives taken earlier, the first case of Barbary captivity to generate significant public interest was that of Captain William Foster of Roxbury, Massachusetts, who was taken along with his son in 1671 and held for three years.

    Academic text (2003)

  • It shows that even in the face of a law in which the language refers explicitly to one individual and seems to inflict punishment in the face of an especially difficult national event, the law may not necessarily be an unconstitutional bill of attainder; this is especially true if there is a significant public interest in the issue.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The recent climate summit attracted significant public interest, with thousands attending to voice their concerns.

  • The new policy on renewable energy has generated significant public interest, prompting many to engage in local advocacy efforts.

Synonyms

spotlight
vssignificant public interest
208 3.5

Public attention focused on a person or issue

is broader public attention across many people rather than a narrow focus
high profile
vssignificant public interest
130 3.6

A job or position that gets a lot of public attention

refers to broad public attention rather than notable status or position
media attention
vssignificant public interest
  • Literature
37 2.4

Notice or interest from newspapers, TV, and websites

is public attention from the general population rather than only media sources
a lot of buzz
vssignificant public interest
  • Literature
13 3.9

Strong excitement and attention from many people and the media

is serious public attention and concern rather than casual excitement
public concern
vssignificant public interest
5 3.2

A matter that affects many people in a community

expresses large public attention and worry rather than general societal importance

How Famous

fame
439 1.0
significant public interest
3.5
limelight
40 4.5
spotlight
208 3.5

Surface Forms

significant public interest singular
significant public interests plural

Morphology

significant + public + interest

The meaning is directly compositional: 'public' (the people) + 'interest' (attention/concern) with 'significant' indicating a large or important amount, so a learner who knows the constituent words can readily infer 'a large amount of attention from the public.' This adjective+noun pattern is a regular, cross-linguistically common construction, making the phrase transparently interpretable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Significant public interest creates the image of a busy town square where the public crowd shows strong interest in an important event (the significant part). That's why it means a large amount of 'attention' or 'concern' from many people.