important

Having relevant and crucial value; having import.

Adjective

  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...
    • 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...
  2. 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...

Origin

From Middle English important, from Medieval Latin important-, importāns. By surface analysis, import (“to be important”) + -ant. Displaced native Old English heah and hefig.

Forms

more important importanter most important importantest

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

negligible ignorable petty slight unimportant inconsequential insignificant minor trivial unremarkable

Hyponyms

momentous ominous portentous memorable notable

Related

import importance strange

Derived

all-important important bird area importantly importantness more important fish to fry nonimportant overimportant superimportant unimportant very important person VIP