Important — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /im-ˈpȯr-tᵊnt/ im·por·tant

Meaning & Definition of Important

Important (adjective)

  1. marked by or indicative of significant worth or consequence, valuable in content or relationship
  2. deserving serious attention
  3. giving evidence of a feeling of self-importance

Important (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having great meaning or lasting effect

    "the discovery of penicillin was a very important event in the history of medicine"

    similar: big, consequential, earthshaking, earth-shattering, eventful, historic, major, material, meaningful, momentous, monumental, much, significant, substantial, tectonic, weighty
    related: decisive, fatal, fateful, strategic, earnest, grave, heavy, serious, sincere, distinctive, exceptional, impressive, outstanding, prominent, remarkable, valuable, worthwhile, worthy, distinguished, eminent, great, illustrious, noble, notable, noteworthy, preeminent, prestigious, famous, notorious, renowned, all-important, central, critical, crucial, essential, key, pivotal, seminal, vital
    opposite: inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, little, minor, negligible, slight, small, trifling, trivial, unimportant
    near: paltry, petty, worthless, anonymous, nameless, obscure, uncelebrated, unknown

  2. having great power or influence

    "Rachel Carson was an important figure in the environmental movement"

    similar: heavy, heavy-duty, influential, mighty, potent, powerful, puissant, significant, strong
    related: high-level, senior, top, able, capable, competent, effective, efficient, authoritarian, autocratic, despotic, dictatorial, magisterial, tyrannical, celebrated, distinguished, dominant, eminent, famed, famous, great, illustrious, noble, notable, noteworthy, notorious, outstanding, preeminent, prestigious, prominent, renowned, dynamic, energetic, forceful, high-powered, robust, vigorous
    opposite: helpless, impotent, insignificant, little, powerless, unimportant, weak
    near: feeble, flimsy, frail, infirm, anonymous, nameless, obscure, uncelebrated, unknown, incapable, incompetent, ineffective, inept, inexpert, unfit, unqualified, unskilled, unskillful

  3. having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude

    "an important businessman who always expects special treatment wherever he goes"

    similar: arrogant, assumptive, bumptious, cavalier, chesty, haughty, high-and-mighty, high-handed, high-hat, highfalutin, huffish, huffy, imperious, lofty, lordly, masterful, overweening, peremptory, pompous, presuming, presumptuous, pretentious, self-asserting, self-assertive, sniffy, stiff-necked, supercilious, superior, toplofty, uppish, uppity
    related: authoritarian, bossy, dominant, dominating, domineering, magisterial, pontifical, pontificating, condescending, disdainful, patronizing, impertinent, impudent, saucy, snobbish, snobby, snooty, blusterous, blustery, boastful, bombastic, braggart, bragging, braggy, cocky, swaggering, vain, vainglorious, complacent, conceited, egocentric, egoistic, egotistic, hubristic, narcissistic, orgulous, prideful, proud, self-affected, self-applauding, self-centered, self-complacent, self-conceited, self-pleased, self-satisfied, smug, stuck-up, self-flattering, self-loving, self-promoting, brash, forward, uninhibited, unreserved, extroverted, immodest
    opposite: humble, lowly, modest, unarrogant, unpretentious
    near: bashful, cowering, cringing, demure, diffident, introverted, mousy, overmodest, self-critical, self-doubting, sheepish, shrinking, shy, subdued, timid, acquiescent, compliant, deferential, meek, passive, submissive, unaggressive, unassertive, unassuming, unobtrusive, yielding, quiet, reserved, retiring

  4. having too high an opinion of oneself

    "oh, you're so important—you think the world revolves around you"

    similar: assured, biggety (Southern & Midland), bigheaded, complacent, conceited, consequential, egoistic, egotistic, overweening, pompous, prideful, proud, self-conceited, self-important, self-opinionated, self-satisfied, smug, stuck-up, swellheaded, vain, vainglorious
    related: blusterous, blustery, boastful, bombastic, braggart, bragging, braggy, cocky, swaggering, arrogant, assumptive, bumptious, cavalier, chesty, disdainful, fastuous, haughty, high-and-mighty, high-hat, huffy, lofty, lordly, masterful, peremptory, pontifical, self-asserting, self-assertive, snobbish, snobby, snooty, supercilious, superior, toplofty, uppish, uppity, domineering, high-handed, imperious, highfalutin, holier-than-thou, pretentious, overconfident, presuming, presumptuous, confident, self-assured, self-confident, self-adulatory, self-congratulatory, self-contented, self-gratulatory, self-applauding, self-dramatizing, self-glorifying, self-promoting, self-affected, self-centered, self-engrossed, selfish, condescending, patronizing
    opposite: egoless, humble, modest, uncomplacent
    near: diffident, self-critical, self-distrustful, self-doubting, self-reproachful, self-reproving, meek, timid, unassertive, down-to-earth, unarrogant, unassuming, unpretentious, bashful, demure, introverted, mousy, overmodest, retiring, sheepish, shrinking, shy

Related Entry: All-important (adjective)

All-important is a different word from Important. The synonyms below are for all-important, not for important.

  1. impossible to do without

    "that all-important item for a successful birthday party: a fancily decorated cake with candles"

    similar: critical, essential, imperative, indispensable, integral, must-have, necessary, necessitous, needed, needful, required, requisite, vital, of the essence
    related: prerequisite, compulsory, mandatory, nonelective, obligatory, consequential, crucial, important, major, material, meaningful, momentous, significant, substantial, weighty, basic, central, fundamental, key, organic, insistent, persistent, pressing, urgent
    opposite: dispensable, inessential, needless, nonessential, unessential, unnecessary, unneeded
    near: undesired, unwanted, inconsequential, insignificant, unimportant, excess, external, extra, extraneous, superfluous, surplus

Related Entry: Self-important (adjective)

Self-important is a different word from Important. The synonyms below are for self-important, not for important.

  1. having too high an opinion of oneself

    "a self-important businessman who believed his schedule mattered more than anyone else's"

    similar: assured, biggety (Southern & Midland), bigheaded, complacent, conceited, consequential, egoistic, egotistic, important, overweening, pompous, prideful, proud, self-conceited, self-opinionated, self-satisfied, smug, stuck-up, swellheaded, vain, vainglorious
    related: blusterous, blustery, boastful, bombastic, braggart, bragging, braggy, cocky, swaggering, arrogant, assumptive, bumptious, cavalier, chesty, disdainful, fastuous, haughty, high-and-mighty, high-hat, huffy, lofty, lordly, masterful, peremptory, pontifical, self-asserting, self-assertive, snobbish, snobby, snooty, supercilious, superior, toplofty, uppish, uppity, domineering, high-handed, imperious, highfalutin, holier-than-thou, pretentious, overconfident, presuming, presumptuous, confident, self-assured, self-confident, self-adulatory, self-congratulatory, self-contented, self-gratulatory, self-applauding, self-dramatizing, self-glorifying, self-promoting, self-affected, self-centered, self-engrossed, selfish, condescending, patronizing
    opposite: egoless, humble, modest, uncomplacent
    near: diffident, self-critical, self-distrustful, self-doubting, self-reproachful, self-reproving, meek, timid, unassertive, down-to-earth, unarrogant, unassuming, unpretentious, bashful, demure, introverted, mousy, overmodest, retiring, sheepish, shrinking, shy

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Important

The most common words with a similar meaning to Important:

Southern & Midland: biggety
big, consequential, earthshaking, earth-shattering, eventful, historic, major, material, meaningful, momentous, monumental, much, significant, substantial, tectonic, weighty, heavy, heavy-duty, influential, mighty, potent, powerful, puissant, strong, arrogant, assumptive, bumptious, cavalier, chesty, haughty, high-and-mighty, high-handed, high-hat, highfalutin, huffish, huffy, imperious, lofty, lordly, masterful

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Important

Words with the opposite meaning of Important:

inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, little, minor, negligible, slight, small, trifling, trivial, unimportant, helpless, impotent, powerless, weak, humble, lowly, modest, unarrogant, unpretentious, egoless, uncomplacent

Related Words for Important

decisive, fatal, fateful, strategic, earnest, grave, serious, sincere, distinctive, exceptional, impressive, outstanding, prominent, remarkable, valuable, worthwhile, worthy, distinguished, eminent, great, illustrious, noble, notable, noteworthy, preeminent, prestigious, famous, notorious, renowned, all-important

Near Antonyms of Important

paltry, petty, worthless, anonymous, nameless, obscure, uncelebrated, unknown, feeble, flimsy, frail, infirm, incapable, incompetent, ineffective, inept, inexpert, unfit, unqualified, unskilled, unskillful, bashful, cowering, cringing, demure, diffident, introverted, mousy, overmodest, self-critical

Origin & Etymology of Important

Middle English importante, from Medieval Latin important-, importans, present participle of importare to signify import:1

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Important

Words & Phrases Containing Important

importantly, all-important, self-important

Frequently Asked Questions about Important

What does "Important" mean?

"Important" means marked by or indicative of significant worth or consequence, valuable in content or relationship. As an adjective, it is defined as: marked by or indicative of significant worth or consequence, valuable in content or relationship. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Important"?

Other words for "Important" include big, consequential, earthshaking, earth-shattering, eventful, historic, major and material. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Important" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Important"?

There are 189 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Important". Common alternatives include big, consequential, earthshaking, earth-shattering, eventful, historic, major, material, meaningful and momentous.

What is the opposite of "Important"?

Antonyms of "Important" include inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, little, minor, negligible, slight and small. Near antonyms include paltry, petty, worthless and anonymous.

How do you use "Important" in a sentence?

Examples of "Important" in a sentence: "the discovery of penicillin was a very important event in the history of medicine"; "Rachel Carson was an important figure in the environmental movement"; "an important businessman who always expects special treatment wherever he goes".

Is "Important" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Important" is an adjective.

Is "Important" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Important" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Important"?

"Important" is pronounced /im-ˈpȯr-tᵊnt/ and divided into syllables as im·por·tant.