important

A1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt/ UK /ɪmˈpɔː.tənt/ See IPA manual

Freq #430

Meanings

1

adj
Having great value or meaning; mattering a lot.

It is important to drink plenty of water every day.
2

adj
Having power, authority, or influence.

An important official came to open the new school.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · having great value or... significant crucial

2 adj · having power, authority, or... authoritative

More big central consequential criticalepochfulessential extraordinaryfatefraughtfatefulfatesomeheavy

Opposites

ignorable inconsequential insignificant minor negligible petty slight trivial unimportant unremarkable

Word family

Derived forms all-importantimportantlyimportantnessnonimportantoverimportantsuperimportantunimportant vip

Related forms import importance strange

Appears in

Phrases (4)

See all

important part
a section or role that is especially significant within a whole

Adjective + noun
important question
a question that is significant or has serious consequences

Adjective + noun
important decision
a decision with significant consequences

Adjective + noun
vitally important
so important that a result or essential need depends on it

Adverb + adjective

Proverbs (2)

See all

Simplified etymology

Important entered English in the late Middle Ages from Latin importare, used in the sense “be of consequence.”

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.

important Middle English importāns la-med

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# important

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪmˈpɔː.tənt/
**Frequency rank:** 430

## Meanings
1. Having great value or meaning; mattering a lot.
2. Having power, authority, or influence.

## Examples
- It is important to drink plenty of water every day.
- An important official came to open the new school.

## Synonyms
- big
- central
- consequential
- critical
- crucial
- epochful
- essential
- extraordinary
- fatefraught
- fateful
- fatesome
- heavy

## Antonyms
- ignorable
- inconsequential
- insignificant
- minor
- negligible
- petty
- slight
- trivial
- unimportant
- unremarkable

## Derived Forms
- all-important
- importantly
- importantness
- nonimportant
- overimportant
- superimportant
- unimportant
- vip

## Related Forms
- import
- importance
- strange

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: important
- Root: importāns

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Important comes from Middle English important, from Medieval Latin important-, importāns. By surface analysis, import (“to be important”) + -ant. Displaced native Old English heah and hefig. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. In current use, the main senses are “Having great value or meaning; mattering a lot” and “Having power, authority, or influence”.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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