"empty signifier" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "1": "1970s"
      },
      "expansion": "the 1970s",
      "name": "etydate/the"
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "1970s"
      },
      "expansion": "First attested in the 1970s",
      "name": "etydate"
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "signifiant vide",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "calque of French signifiant vide",
      "name": "calque"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "First attested in the 1970s, apparently originally a calque of French signifiant vide as used by Jacques Derrida among others (though not by Lacan as sometimes supposed; compare the Lacanian term master signifier). Subsequently popularised in the work of Ernesto Laclau in the 1990s.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "empty signifiers",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "empty signifier (plural empty signifiers)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w"
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        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Philosophy",
          "orig": "en:Philosophy",
          "parents": [
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Sociology",
          "orig": "en:Sociology",
          "parents": [
            "Social sciences",
            "Sciences",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011, Hugh B. Urban, The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion, →ISBN, page 48:",
          "text": "In many ways, the goal of “Clear” seems to have functioned as a kind of empty signifier, an amorphous but supremely attractive goal that could represent almost anything to anyone: higher IQ for some, better personal relationships for others, career success for some, domestic bliss for others.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A signifier—that is, a linguistic sign, a label or slogan—with no fixed and delimited meaning, which can therefore be interpreted in many ways and represent a range of different beliefs and aspirations."
      ],
      "id": "en-empty_signifier-en-noun-5tABJjqQ",
      "links": [
        [
          "sociology",
          "sociology"
        ],
        [
          "philosophy",
          "philosophy"
        ],
        [
          "signifier",
          "signifier"
        ],
        [
          "sign",
          "sign"
        ],
        [
          "label",
          "label"
        ],
        [
          "slogan",
          "slogan"
        ],
        [
          "meaning",
          "meaning"
        ],
        [
          "interpret",
          "interpret"
        ],
        [
          "belief",
          "belief"
        ],
        [
          "aspiration",
          "aspiration"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(sociology, philosophy) A signifier—that is, a linguistic sign, a label or slogan—with no fixed and delimited meaning, which can therefore be interpreted in many ways and represent a range of different beliefs and aspirations."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "philosophy",
        "sciences",
        "social-science",
        "sociology"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "Ernesto Laclau",
        "Jacques Derrida",
        "Jacques Lacan"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "empty signifier"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "1970s"
      },
      "expansion": "the 1970s",
      "name": "etydate/the"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "1970s"
      },
      "expansion": "First attested in the 1970s",
      "name": "etydate"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "signifiant vide",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "calque of French signifiant vide",
      "name": "calque"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "First attested in the 1970s, apparently originally a calque of French signifiant vide as used by Jacques Derrida among others (though not by Lacan as sometimes supposed; compare the Lacanian term master signifier). Subsequently popularised in the work of Ernesto Laclau in the 1990s.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "empty signifiers",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "empty signifier (plural empty signifiers)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
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        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms calqued from French",
        "English terms derived from French",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "en:Philosophy",
        "en:Sociology"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011, Hugh B. Urban, The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion, →ISBN, page 48:",
          "text": "In many ways, the goal of “Clear” seems to have functioned as a kind of empty signifier, an amorphous but supremely attractive goal that could represent almost anything to anyone: higher IQ for some, better personal relationships for others, career success for some, domestic bliss for others.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A signifier—that is, a linguistic sign, a label or slogan—with no fixed and delimited meaning, which can therefore be interpreted in many ways and represent a range of different beliefs and aspirations."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sociology",
          "sociology"
        ],
        [
          "philosophy",
          "philosophy"
        ],
        [
          "signifier",
          "signifier"
        ],
        [
          "sign",
          "sign"
        ],
        [
          "label",
          "label"
        ],
        [
          "slogan",
          "slogan"
        ],
        [
          "meaning",
          "meaning"
        ],
        [
          "interpret",
          "interpret"
        ],
        [
          "belief",
          "belief"
        ],
        [
          "aspiration",
          "aspiration"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(sociology, philosophy) A signifier—that is, a linguistic sign, a label or slogan—with no fixed and delimited meaning, which can therefore be interpreted in many ways and represent a range of different beliefs and aspirations."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "philosophy",
        "sciences",
        "social-science",
        "sociology"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "Ernesto Laclau",
        "Jacques Derrida",
        "Jacques Lacan"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "empty signifier"
}