important

The word “important” means having real significance, value, or influence. In plain terms, mattering a lot, or (less commonly) acting self-important.

“Important” is pronounced ihm-PAW-tuhnt (/ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt/ in IPA).

Here is “important” used in a sentence: “It's important to double-check your work before submitting it.”

Words with a similar meaning to “important” include significant, weighty, key, big, central and consequential.

The opposite of “important” — its antonyms — are negligible, ignorable, slight, petty and unimportant.

“Important” is an adjective.

The word “important” comes from Medieval Latin. From Medieval Latin importans, related to import ("to be important").

“Important” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

'Important' means something has real significance or lasting value. 'Urgent' means it needs attention right now. The two often differ: a long-term goal can be important but not urgent, while a ringing phone may be urgent but not important. Good time management separates what truly matters from what merely feels pressing.

The two are close synonyms. 'Important' stresses that something matters or has influence. 'Significant' stresses that it is noticeable, meaningful, or large enough to have an effect, and it is common in statistics and research. Often they are interchangeable, but 'significant' leans toward measurable impact.

The main opposites are 'unimportant,' 'insignificant,' and 'trivial,' words for things of little value or influence. 'Minor,' 'negligible,' and 'inconsequential' work too, depending on context. Each suggests that something can be safely overlooked because it carries little weight or makes little difference.

'It is important to read the instructions before you begin.' Here 'important' marks the action as worth doing because it has real value. Other examples include 'an important decision,' 'an important figure in history,' and 'sleep is important for health,' each pointing to genuine significance or influence.