important
See also: împortant
English
editEtymology
editFrom Middle English important, from Medieval Latin important-, importāns. By surface analysis, import (“to be important”) + -ant.
Displaced native Old English heah and hefig.
Pronunciation
edit- (UK, Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɪmˈpɔː.tənt/, [ɪmˈpʰɔːʔn̩ʔ], [ɪmˈpʰɔːtənt̚]
- (General American) IPA(key): /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt/, [ɪmˈpʰɔɹʔn̩t], [ɪmˈpʰɔɹʔn̩ʔ]
Audio (US): (file) - (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA(key): /ɪmˈpo(ː)ɹ.tənt/
- (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA(key): /ɪmˈpoə.tənt/
- (US, T-Flapping) IPA(key): /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt/
Adjective
editimportant (comparative more important or (uncommon) importanter, superlative most important or (uncommon) importantest)
- Having relevant and crucial value; having import.
- It is very important to give your daughter independence in her life so she learns from experience.
- 1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 6:
- 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, “Eye Witness”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 249:
- 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.
- (obsolete) Pompous; self-important.
- 1811, [Jane Austen], chapter XI, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume I, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 206:
- " […] It is a match that must give universal satisfaction. In short, it is a kind of thing that"—lowering his voice to an important whisper—"will be exceedingly welcome to all parties." Recollecting himself, however, he added, "That is, I mean to say—your friends are all truly anxious to see you well settled; Fanny particularly […] "
Synonyms
edit- significant
- weighty
- See also Thesaurus:important
Antonyms
editDerived terms
editRelated terms
editTranslations
edithaving relevant and crucial value
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Catalan
editEtymology 1
editPronunciation
edit- IPA(key): (Central) [im.purˈtan]
- IPA(key): (Balearic) [im.porˈtant]
- IPA(key): (Valencia) [im.poɾˈtant]
Audio (Central): (file)
Adjective
editimportant m or f (masculine and feminine plural importants)
Derived terms
editRelated terms
editFurther reading
edit- “important” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
- “important”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
- “important” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “important” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Etymology 2
editVerb
editimportant
French
editPronunciation
editAdjective
editimportant (feminine importante, masculine plural importants, feminine plural importantes)
- important
- Il est important de se brosser les dents.
- It is important to brush your teeth.
- large, considerable, significant
- Synonyms: grand, gros, considérable
- Une partie importante des votes
- A significant number of the votes
- Une tempête de neige est un phénomène météorologique produit par une dépression météorologique hivernale importante.
- A snowstorm is a meteorological phenomenon produced by a large winter depression.
Derived terms
editParticiple
editimportant
Further reading
edit- “important”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Latin
editVerb
editimportant
Occitan
editPronunciation
editAdjective
editimportant m (feminine singular importanta, masculine plural importants, feminine plural importantas)
Related terms
editRomanian
editEtymology
editBorrowed from French important.
Pronunciation
editAdjective
editimportant m or n (feminine singular importantă, masculine plural importanți, feminine and neuter plural importante)
Declension
editsingular | plural | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | neuter | feminine | masculine | neuter | feminine | |||
nominative- accusative |
indefinite | important | importantă | importanți | importante | |||
definite | importantul | importanta | importanții | importantele | ||||
genitive- dative |
indefinite | important | importante | importanți | importante | |||
definite | importantului | importantei | importanților | importantilor |
Related terms
editCategories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Medieval Latin
- English terms suffixed with -ant
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English 4-syllable words
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with obsolete senses
- Catalan terms with IPA pronunciation
- Catalan terms with audio pronunciation
- Catalan lemmas
- Catalan adjectives
- Catalan epicene adjectives
- Catalan non-lemma forms
- Catalan gerunds
- French 3-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio pronunciation
- French lemmas
- French adjectives
- French terms with usage examples
- French non-lemma forms
- French present participles
- Latin non-lemma forms
- Latin verb forms
- Occitan terms with audio pronunciation
- Occitan lemmas
- Occitan adjectives
- Gascon
- Romanian terms borrowed from French
- Romanian terms derived from French
- Romanian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Romanian terms with audio pronunciation
- Romanian lemmas
- Romanian adjectives