important

A1 Topic:Abstract Ideas

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

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 ->

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
- Abstract Ideas

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important

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