importance
Americannoun
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the quality or state of being important; consequence; significance.
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important position or standing; personal or social consequence.
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consequential air or manner.
an air of bustling importance.
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Obsolete. an important matter.
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Obsolete. importunity.
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Obsolete. import or meaning.
noun
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the state of being important; significance
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social status; standing; esteem
a man of importance
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obsolete
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meaning or signification
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an important matter
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importunity
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Related Words
Importance, consequence, significance, moment all signify something valuable, influential, or worthy of note. Importance is the most general of these, assigning exceptional or notable value or influence to a person or thing: the importance of Einstein's discoveries. Consequence may suggest outstanding personal quality or position, or it may suggest importance because of results to be produced: a woman of consequence in world affairs; an event of great consequence for our future. Significance can be used interchangeably with importance or consequence, but it carries also the implication of importance that is not readily or immediately recognized: The significance of the discovery only became clear years later. Moment, on the other hand, almost always refers to immediately apparent, self-evident importance: a change of great moment for the nation's political system.
Other Word Forms
- preimportance noun
- unimportance noun
Etymology
Origin of importance
First recorded in 1495–1505; Medieval Latin importantia; important ( def. ), -ance ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She also stresses the importance of funding research that challenges false health claims.
From Science Daily
She gave a hearfelt acceptance speech about the importance of following your dreams before walking off without having revealed the next nominees.
From BBC
Clubs became much more aware of the importance of offering longer-term contracts, and without doubt more lucrative deals, to the players of value, and then sometimes deciding on the right time to sell.
From BBC
However, she stressed that some subjects that had a low uptake, such as Gaelic, would not be dropped because "it has importance in our community and in our society."
From BBC
The firm's push to deploy AI at a time when top brass are emphasising the importance of a personal touch might seem loaded with irony, but Niccol sees little tension.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
