important
adjUK /ɪmˈpɔː.tənt/ · CA, US /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt/
Etymology From Middle English important, from Medieval Latin important-, importāns. By surface analysis, import (“to be important”) + -ant. Displaced native Old English hēah and hefiġ.
1
Having relevant and crucial value; having import.
- We thought it important for there to be a fire escape at the back of every building.
- Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between. His clerks, however, understood him very well.1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 6:
3 more examples
- The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen.[…]The second note, the high alarum, not so familiar and always important since it indicates the paramount sin in Man's private calendar, took most of them by surprise although they had been well prepared.1963, Margery Allingham, “Eye Witness”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 249:
- For this was the most important thing, that when a person felt strongly about an issue in life, it mustn’t be ignored by others; for if it was, everything subsequent to it would turn out badly, even though there should seem to be no direct connection.1988, Robert Ferro, Second Son
- In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.2013 May-June, Katrina G. Claw, “Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:
2
Obsolete Pompous; self-important.
- "[…] It is a match that must give universal satisfaction. In short, it is a kind of thing that"—lowering his voice to an important whisper—"will be exceedingly welcome to all parties." Recollecting himself, however, he added, "That is, I mean to say—your friends are all truly anxious to see you well settled; Fanny particularly […]"1811, [Jane Austen], chapter XI, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume I, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 206:
- Synonyms
34 terms
significant, weighty, key, big, central, consequential, critical, crucial, epochful, essential, extraordinary, fateful, fatefraught, fatesome, heavy, pivotal, high on the totem pole, historic, innegligible, life-or-death, meaningful, necessary, noted, noticeable, observable, outstanding, paramount, pertinent, relevant, remarkable, salient, unignorable, valuable, vital- Antonyms
- negligible, ignorable, petty, slight, unimportant, inconsequential, insignificant, minor, trivial, unremarkable
- Derived terms
- all-important, important bird area, importantly, importantness, more important fish to fry, nonimportant, overimportant, superimportant, unimportant, very important person, VIP
- Related terms
- import, importance, strange
- Hyponyms
- momentous, ominous, portentous, memorable, notable