Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Strongly affecting the course of events or the nature of things; significant: an important message that must get through; close friends who are important to me.
- adj. Having or suggesting a consciousness of high position or authority; authoritative: recited the decree with an important air.
- adj. Obsolete Importunate.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Of much import; bearing weight or consequence; momentous; grave; significant.
- Consequential; pretentious; pompous: as, an important manner.
- [Appar. confused with importunate. Cf. importunate, 1.] Importunate; eager; pressing.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. obsolete Full of, or burdened by, import; charged with great interests; restless; anxious.
- adj. Carrying or possessing weight or consequence; of valuable content or bearing; significant; weighty.
- adj. obsolete Bearing on; forcible; driving.
- adj. obsolete Importunate; pressing; urgent.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. having authority or ascendancy or influence
- adj. having or suggesting a consciousness of high position
- adj. of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis
- adj. of great significance or value
- adj. important in effect or meaning
Etymologies
- Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin importāns, important-, present participle of importāre, to mean, from Latin, to import; see import. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“This approach to community policing and its focus on dealing with low level crime is important and over the last 40 years the direction of the police, particularly in London has oscillated between the ‘Bobby on the beat’ and dealing with the big, ’important’ crimes that the Police Federation and John Denham Chair of the Home Office Select Committee seem to want them to go back to pursuing.”
“The occasion, by the way, need not be really important, but, as in this imaginary case of the boil, if it _seems important_ to the woman, irritation will outweigh the physical sensation. ”
“So-and-so was always a name important enough for her to recognize, and he always said it in a sort of fake bored way that irritated her.”
“Whether his a guess or registered the important is the contribution of his comment ..”
“Asked about the hearings, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the White House welcomes congressional participation on what he called an important issue.”
Voice of America: Congressman Vows to Continue Controversial Islamic Radicalization Hearings
“Were you surprised at what they defined as important issues?”
The Huffington Post: Anthea Raymond: New LA Times Column Watchdogs Local Goverment
“That's what I call important information for making an intelligent decision in choosing whether to support a candidate or not.”
“President Abdullah Gul accuses U.S. politicians of sacrificing what he calls important matters for what he calls petty politics.”
“QUESTION: This was the most, what you call important week or holiest week for many world religions.”
“He charged that members of the Chiluba government were not paying attention to what he called important issues of national interest, stating: "They don't know how civil wars start.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘important’.
-
EU Buzz - EN words misused by the EU
A list based on http://ec.europa.eu/translation/english/guidelines/document...
actor, actual, adequate, agenda, agent, aids, allow, anglo-saxon, articulate, assist, axis, attestation and 77 more...
-
EU Buzz - Lisbon Treaty
All words of the Lisbon Treaty
(Persons' names, foreign and grammatical words have been eliminated, MWEs have been split up into individual words. Capitalization has been retained if r...health, follow, condition, meeting, minister, beginning, chapter, information, language, remain, covered, respect and 2614 more...
-
US - What is Bill talking about - Sep...
The 100 most frequent words of Bill Clinton’s Speech to the Democratic National Convention
trillion, together, welfare, shared, romney, republican, reasons, recovery, record, really, re-elect, program and 86 more...
-
Pedantic distinctions
Put the two words next to each other. Pedants of the world pen your pet peeves here!
syntax, grammar, imply, infer, comprise, compose, effect, affect, insure, ensure, uninterested, disinterested and 21 more...
-
Adjectives 2
Conditions
alive, better, important, careful, clever, dead, easy, famous, gifted, helpful, inexpensive, mushy and 8 more...
-
Rubbies
Words and things that rub me wrong
eclectic, canon, flesh, irregardless, conversate, can't, mandatory, war on christmas, male bonding, pissa, parochial, infallible and 98 more...
-
Apples to Apples: Green Cards
A complete list of the green cards (adjectives) from the popular word game.
absurd, addictive, adorable, aged, American, ancient, animated, annoying, appetizing, arrogant, awesome, awkward and 237 more...
-
Basic English Vocabulary
Very basic words for ESL students.
contemplate, container, consumer, consultant, consensus, conscious, conscience, connection, confusion, confront, conflict, confident and 4334 more...
-
feeling words
twitterpated, loquacious, ambiguous, pensive, sluggish, anxious, adventurous, curious, abandoned, absent-minded, abrasive, abused and 653 more...
-
real
real words about love that are worth believing in
beautiful, absolute, embrace, imperfect, always, romance, compromise, entwine, sacrifice, important, forgiveness, joy and 2 more...
-
EU - What was Joao talking about in 2...
The 100 most frequent words in Joao Barroso's "State of the European Union" address in September 2011
working, treaty, promote, problem, people, necessary, national, member, market, greece, future, economy and 87 more...
-
OM2 Lesson 23
head, headache, split, splitting, past, several, hit, suddenly, explode, shoulder, neck, back and 11 more...
-
three words
three, easy, you, now, free, no risk, guaranteed, yes, important, person's name, fast, proof and 5 more...
-
Roots....words with port
just a simple list...
of roots on port.
Tweets
Looking for tweets for important.
gangerh It's important to use the word important. People want to know about important things and it's a word that grabs the reader's attention. And that's important!
'15 words that will make you money' Jul 23, 2009
abraxaszugzwang Don't tell me a literary work is important. Don't do it.
Sometimes I am my old man. Mar 2, 2007