important
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- significant, far-reaching, momentous, seminal, serious, substantial, urgent, weighty
- powerful, eminent, high-ranking, influential, noteworthy, pre-eminent, prominent

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Antonyms: unimportant
Contrasted words: inconsiderable, little, minor, paltry, petty, slight, trivial
Related Words: conspicuous, distinctive, exceptional, impressive, marked, memorable, notable, noteworthy, noticeable, outstanding, prominent, remarkable, salient, unusual, essential, valuable, worthwhile, worthy, effective, potent, powerful, telling, big-time, first-class, first-rate, front-page, top-notch, distinguished, eminent, famous, noted

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English Thesaurus: important, big, significant, noteworthy, essential, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

im‧por‧tant S1 W1 /ɪmˈpɔːtənt $ -ɔːr-/ adjective
[Word Family: noun: importance; adverb: importantly; adjective: important ≠ unimportant]
[Date: 1400-1500; Language: French; Origin: Old Italian importante 'carrying a meaning, significant', from Latin importare; ⇒ import²]

1. an important event, decision, problem etc has a big effect or influence on people’s lives or on events in the future:
a very important meeting
The accident taught him an important lesson.
Happiness is more important than money.
‘What did you say?’ ‘Oh, nothing important.’
it is important (to do something)
It’s important to explain the procedure to the patient.
It’s vitally important that you understand the danger.
important for
It was important for the president to continue his schedule, regardless of the bomb threat.
important to
Nothing could be more important to me than my family.
► When you mean that you care about something a lot, say that it is important to you, not that it is ‘important for’ you.

2. people who are important have a lot of power or influence:
a very important customer
They carry guns because it makes them feel important.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

important
adj.
VERBS be, seem | become | remain | make sth This is what makes our work so important.
believe sth, consider sth, deem sth, regard sth as, see sth as, think sth These ideas are considered enormously important.
ADV. critically, crucially, enormously, especially, extremely, hugely, most, particularly, really, terribly, very, vitally This is most important: you must deliver the letter to Johnson himself.
increasingly | doubly | fairly, quite | equally These two factors are equally important.
internationally, regionally an internationally important site for these rare birds
economically, functionally, historically, politically, strategically historically important buildings
PREP. for It's important for you to understand this.
to Spending time with my children is important to me. The work of the intelligence services was crucially important to victory in the war.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

important
adjective
1.
BAD: He said that money was not important for him.
GOOD: He said that money was not important to him.

Usage Note:
If you care or think about something a lot, it is important to you (NOT for ): 'The watch is very important to me because it belonged to my grandmother.' Compare: 'English is very important for my career.'

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2.
See CAUSE 3 (cause), PROBLEM 2 (problem)

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3.
See THING 1 (thing),2

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

important having a big effect on people’s lives or on events in the future:
an important decision
Good qualifications are increasingly important.
big important or serious:
It’s a big decision.
a big problem
significant important enough to be noticeable or have a big effect:
There is no significant difference between the performance of male and female students.
The Internet has brought about significant changes in people’s lives.
noteworthy formal important or interesting enough to deserve your attention:
The castle is the island’s most noteworthy feature.
The jury’s verdict was noteworthy for a number of reasons.
essential very important, especially for the success, health, or safety of someone or something:
It is essential to speak the local language.
essential supplies of food and clothing
vital/crucial extremely important, because without it there could be serious problems:
His evidence was vital to the case.
The US plays a crucial role in the region.
The media are a vital part of the political system.
key extremely important and having a big effect:
Wheeler had a key role in the development of the atom bomb.
Timing is key.
of great/considerable importance very important:
In the construction industry, health and safety are of considerable importance.
momentous very important because it has a very great effect on the future:
Momentous events were taking place in Russia.
a momentous decision
main/chief/principal [only before noun] most important:
What was your main aim?
the principal reason for their decision
the chief cause of the recession
major [usually before noun] one of the most important or serious things:
Smoking is a major cause of heart disease.
Street crime is a major problem.
central/primary [usually before noun] most important – used especially when talking about the main thing that people are discussing, worried about, or trying to do:
Education will be the central issue in the election.
Our primary concern is passenger safety.
paramount /ˈpærəmaʊnt/ formal more important than anything else, so that you must consider it when deciding what to do:
Airport security is of paramount importance.
The needs of the students are paramount.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲