important

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj

Having relevant and crucial value; having import.
Pompous; self-important.

Pronunciation

/ɪmˈpɔː.tənt/ [ɪmˈpʰɔːʔn̩ʔ] [ɪmˈpʰɔːtənt̚] /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt/ [ɪmˈpʰɔɹʔn̩t] [ɪmˈpʰɔɹʔn̩ʔ] en-us-important.ogg /ɪmˈpo(ː)ɹ.tənt/ /ɪmˈpoə.tənt/ /ɪmˈpɔɹ.ɾənt/ /ɪmˈpɔ(r)ʈəɳʈ/ /-ˈpo(r)-/

Word forms

important more important importanter most important 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.

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 observable outstanding paramount pertinent relevant remarkable salient unignorable valuable vital

Antonyms

negligible ignorable petty slight unimportant inconsequential insignificant minor trivial unremarkable

Related words

import importance strange

Derived words

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

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.

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