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:
And if there were ever a summer when one might have expected a little consensus about the importance of competent food-safety oversight, surely it was this one.
From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026
“I want the participants of the exhibit to have a real understanding of the importance of Brockman Gallery in the position of the art world and not just in the Black community,” said Dale.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Earlier research from Mount Sinai and Emory University helped establish the importance of these networks.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
Arteta has made a big point of referring to his substitutes as "finishers" as he points to the importance of the squad.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
But the real importance, Reverend Hunt says, is to bring the good news of Christ to the native people who live in Virginia.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
All perception of relative importances depends upon a just appreciation of which letters in association’s bond association will most readily dispense with.
From The Note-Books of Samuel Butler by Samuel Butler
The difficulty lies in the nice appreciation of relative importances and in the giving each detail neither more nor less than its due.
From The Note-Books of Samuel Butler by Samuel Butler
We are beginning to have glamours and importances of our own.
From On the Stairs by Henry Blake Fuller
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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
