Meaning & use
important
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Having major significance, value, or influence on people, events, or results.
Grammar: Use more and most: more important, not importanter.
Patterns
- be important to someone
- it is important that
- important for something
Sleep is important for memory and mood.
It is important that every passenger wears a seat belt.
Her early science teachers were important to her choice of career.
adjectivecomparable
Having high rank, power, or social influence.
Grammar: Often used before a noun: an important client, an important decision.
Patterns
- an important person
- an important role
- an important decision
The mayor held an important meeting with school leaders.
Being punctual is an important part of a first impression.
The committee made an important decision about funding.
Word forms
| comparative | more important |
|---|---|
| superlative | most important |
Common combinations
- important role
- Local libraries play an important role in community life.
- important information
- Please read the important information before signing the form.
- vitally important
- Clean water is vitally important during an emergency.
- equally important
- Rest is equally important as training for a long race.
Synonyms and how they differ
- significant
- Significant often suggests a measurable or noticeable effect, sometimes in research or statistics.
- crucial
- Crucial is stronger and means essential to success; important is broader and can be less urgent.
- vital
- Vital means necessary for life, survival, or success, so it is stronger than everyday important.
- key
- Key means central to making something work, often before a noun like key factor.
Opposites
Word family
- importance noun
- The quality of being significant or valuable.
- importantly adverb
- In a way that matters; also used to introduce a main point.
- unimportant adjective
- Not significant or not likely to have much effect.
Commonly confused: important or importance?
important vs importance
Important is an adjective describing a thing or person; importance is the noun naming the quality.
Practice
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Choose one answer.
Important uses periphrastic comparison: more important and most important. Importanter, most important than, and importantest are not standard comparative forms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “important”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.