Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words (original) (raw)

important

adjective

1. of much or great significance or consequence:
   an important event in world history.
2. mattering much (usually followed by to ):
   details important to a fair decision.
3. entitled to more than ordinary consideration or notice:
   an important exception.
4. He played an important part in national politics.
5. of considerable influence or authority, as a person or position:
   an important scientist.
6. having social position or distinction, as a person or family:
   important guests.
7. When speaking, he assumes an important attitude that offends his audience.

/ ɪmˈpɔːtənt /

adjective

1. of great significance or value; outstanding
   Voltaire is an important writer
2. of social significance; notable; eminent; esteemed
   an important man in the town
3. when postpositive,usually foll byto
   specially relevant or of great concern (to); valued highly (by)
   your wishes are important to me

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Usage Note

Both

more important

and

more importantly

occur at the beginning of a sentence in all varieties of standard English:

More important (or More importantly), her record as an administrator is unmatched.

Today,

more importantly

is the more common, even though some object to its use on the grounds that

more important

is an elliptical form of “What is more important” and that the adverb

importantly

could not occur in such a construction.

More importantly

probably developed by analogy with other sentence-modifying adverbs, as curiously, fortunately, and regrettably.

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Usage

The use of more importantly as in more importantly, the local council is opposed to this proposal has become very common, but many people still prefer to use more important

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Derived Forms

• imˈportantly, adverb

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Other Words From

• im·portant·ly adverb
• half-im·portant adjective
• half-im·portant·ly adverb
• preim·portant adjective
• preim·portant·ly adverb
• quasi-im·portant adjective
• quasi-im·portant·ly adverb
• super·im·portant adjective
• super·im·portant·ly adverb
• unim·portant adjective
• unim·portant·ly adverb

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Word History and Origins

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Word History and Origins

Origin of important1

C16: from Old Italian importante, from Medieval Latin importāre to signify, be of consequence, from Latin: to carry in; see

import

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Example Sentences

He urged the Senate and the Biden administration to push through as many judicial nominations as possible, calling it an "important path to protecting reproductive freedom" ahead of Trump taking office.

Gen. Rob Bonta and other leaders in California and like-minded states can form an important bulwark against attacks on environmental protections, much as they did eight years ago.

"International education is extremely important, and these reforms are designed to make it better and fairer, and set it up on a more sustainable footing going forward," Clare said.

He added the autumn camps after a major tournament "get forgotten about a little bit", but are "really important".

“I don’t think we should outsource our judgments about the most important things to whatever a given rating agency happens to measure,” he said, according to a publicly available recording of the meeting.