importance
Americannoun
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importances
plural
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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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Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of importance
First recorded in 1495–1505; Medieval Latin importantia; see important ( def. ), -ance ( def. )
Explanation
Importance is the state of being greatly significant. If you're invited to your cousin's wedding and your friend's circus-themed birthday party on the same day, you'll have to decide which event has more importance to you. Something or someone that is particularly notable can also be referred to with the noun importance. The historic and symbolic importance of the "Declaration of Independence" means that most kids learn about it in history class. In your history class, you'll also learn about the people who had positions of importance in drafting the "Declaration," like John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
Vocabulary lists containing importance
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.
See Examples For:
Beyond toughness, Hitschler wanted the Bruins to show intensity and relentless attention to detail, emphasizing the importance of “being intentional in everything you do.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Researchers tested their importance by reducing the neutrophil-rich immune-cell population.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
India has already taken a step: the government now treats submarine cable systems as critical telecommunications infrastructure, recognising their importance to international connectivity.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Wright also stressed the importance of fixing Venezuela's electricity sector, with much of the country enduring hours-long power cuts on a daily basis.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
She continually emphasized to him the importance of knowing other languages, especially if he intended to play chess in foreign lands.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
She replied nothing at first, till he feared she might think it her duty to resent a question that made light of all her husband's importances.
From Madame De Mauves by Henry James
I want my readers to be intelligent about understanding the relative importances of different hygienic treatment and useful supporting practices.
From How and When to Be Your Own Doctor by Steve Solomon
We are beginning to have glamours and importances of our own.
From On the Stairs by Henry Blake Fuller
Van Eyck’s finish is saved because up to the last he is essentially impressionist, that is, he keeps a just account of relative importances and keeps them in their true subordination one to another.
From The Note-Books of Samuel Butler by Samuel Butler
Thus the commissioners, recovering from their panic, began to frown with importances.
From Gargoyles by Ben Hecht
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.
