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Webster 1913 Edition

Important

Im-por′tant

,
Adj.
[F.
important
. See
Import
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
Full of, or burdened by, import; charged with great interests; restless; anxious.
[Obs.]
Thou hast strength as much
As serves to execute a mind very
important
.
Chapman.
2.
Carrying or possessing weight or consequence; of valuable content or bearing; significant; weighty.
Things small as nothing . . .
He makes
important
.
Shakespeare
3.
Bearing on; forcible; driving.
[Obs.]
He fiercely at him flew,
And with
important
outrage him assailed.
Spenser.
Syn. – Weighty; momentous; significant; essential; necessary; considerable; influential; serious.

Webster 1828 Edition

Important

IMPORT'ANT

,
Adj.
Literally, bearing on or to. Hence, weighty; momentous; of great consequence; having a bearing on some interest, measure or result by which good or ill may be produced. Truth is important to happiness as well as to knowledge, but none so important as religious truth. The commerce of Great Britain is important to her navy, and her navy is important to her independence. Men often forget the important end for which they were created.
1.
Bearing on; forcible; driving.
He fiercely at him flew,
And with important outrage him assailed.
2.
Importunate. [Not used.]

Definition 2024

important

important

See also: împortant

English

Adjective

important ‎(comparative more important, superlative most important)

  1. Having relevant and crucial value.
    It is very important to give your daughter independence in her life so she learns from experience.‎
    • 1893, Walter Besant, The Ivory Gate, Prologue:
      Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 20, in The China Governess:
      The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen. […] The second note, the high alarum, not so familiar and always important since it indicates the paramount sin in Man's private calendar, took most of them by surprise although they had been well prepared.
    • 1988, Robert Ferro, Second Son:
      For this was the most important thing, that when a person felt strongly about an issue in life, it mustn’t be ignored by others; for if it was, everything subsequent to it would turn out badly, even though there should seem to be no direct connection.
    • 2013 May-June, Katrina G. Claw, “Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:
      In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related terms

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Translations

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: glad · hair · ran · #572: important · mine · wild · front

Catalan

Adjective

important m, f ‎(masculine and feminine plural importants)

  1. important

Derived terms

Related terms

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tɑ̃/

Adjective

important m ‎(feminine singular importante, masculine plural importants, feminine plural importantes)

  1. important
    Il est important de se brosser les dents.
    It is important to brush your teeth.
  2. significant
    Une partie importante des votes
    A significant number of the votes.

Derived terms

Verb

important

  1. present participle of importer

Latin

Verb

important

  1. third-person plural present active indicative of importō

Romanian

Etymology

French important

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [im.porˈtant]

Adjective

important m, n ‎(feminine singular importantă, masculine plural importanți, feminine and neuter plural importante)

  1. important

Declension

Etymology

From Middle French important, from Latin importans.

Pronunciation

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