It's significant if you wish it to be.
Some people don't read with them at all.
I read with them when I feel like it.
They can have all sorts of meanings.
I personally love Mary K Greers "The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals"
and also always remember Benebell Wen's "WIND" mneumonic for them.
W = Weakened, overpowered by some other force
I = Inverted
N = Negated
D = Delayed.
I've added quite a few to this arsenal of ideas over the years:
"Delay," to be sure, but just as often "Detour," as in the influence being rerouted (and possibly misrouted or diverted). This is the one that often leads me down interesting byways in the narrative, and I sometimes visualize a "Detour" sign.
"Surprise," as in experiencing something unexpected that may have "snuck up behind you" or is about to "hit you upside the head."
"Pause" to reassess the situation, perhaps "buying time" (the "take two steps back and look it over" option).
Occasionally "Blockage," but I usually find that the human spirit is inventive enough to work its way around any obstacle, even if there is no "perfect" solution. So this one usually means more a "difficult passage" than outright "negation."
"Diminished" in its potency, more a nagging discomfort than a direct hit, especially if accompanied by more encouraging cards.
"Diluted" or "Defrayed" sometimes come to mind, as in a "watered down" experience of the energy.
"Abstracted" is another way of implying a lessening of immediacy, and can indicate a difficulty in coming to grips with the influence.
"Oblique" is a similar idea, the "out-of-left-field" connotation.
I'm sure there are many more. I keep coming up with them on-the-fly and then promptly forgetting them. I really need to keep notes.