important
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɪmˈpɔː.tənt/
ipa: [ɪmˈpʰɔːʔn̩ʔ]
ipa: [ɪmˈpʰɔːtənt̚]
ipa: /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt/
ipa: [ɪmˈpʰɔɹʔn̩t]
ipa: [ɪmˈpʰɔɹʔn̩ʔ]
note: rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger
ipa: /ɪmˈpo(ː)ɹ.tənt/
note: non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger
ipa: /ɪmˈpoə.tənt/
note: US, T-Flapping
ipa: /ɪmˈpɔɹ.ɾənt/
note: Indic
ipa: /ɪmˈpɔ(r)ʈəɳʈ/
note: Indic
ipa: /-ˈpo(r)-/
Forms: form: more important
form: importanter
form: most important
form: importantest
Etymology: From Middle English important, from Medieval Latin important-, importāns. By surface analysis, import (“to be important”) + -ant.
Displaced native Old English heah and hefig.
Senses: examples: text: We thought it important for there to be a fire escape at the back of every building.
text: 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.
ref: 1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 6:
text: 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.
ref: 1963, Margery Allingham, “Eye Witness”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 249:
text: 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.
ref: 1988, Robert Ferro, Second Son
text: 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.
ref: 2013 May-June, Katrina G. Claw, “Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:
glosses: Having relevant and crucial value; having import.
examples: text: "[…] 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 […]"
ref: 1811, [Jane Austen], chapter XI, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume I, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 206:
glosses: Pompous; self-important.
Synonyms: word: significant
word: weighty
word: key
word: big
word: central
word: consequential
word: critical
word: crucial
word: epochful
word: essential
word: extraordinary
word: fateful
word: fatefraught
word: fatesome
word: heavy
word: pivotal
word: high on the totem pole
word: historic
word: innegligible
word: life-or-death
word: meaningful
word: necessary
word: noted
word: noticeable
word: observable
word: outstanding
word: paramount
word: pertinent
word: relevant
word: remarkable
word: salient
word: unignorable
word: valuable
word: vital
Hyponyms: word: momentous
word: ominous
word: portentous
word: memorable
word: notable
Derived terms: all-important
important bird area
importantly
importantness
more important fish to fry
nonimportant
overimportant
superimportant
unimportant
very important person
VIP
Related terms: word: import
word: importance
word: strange