in key

1. In harmony with other factors, in a matching style, as in This furniture is perfectly in key with the overall design. This term uses key in the musical sense, that is, “a scheme of notes related to one another.” The antonym, out of key, means “not in harmony with other factors,” or “unsuitable,” as in He is out of key with his time. [c. 1900]

Example Sentences

South Korea, whose companies have promised to invest billions of dollars in key US industries in the coming years, partly to avoid tariffs, has sent diplomats to Georgia, and called for its citizens' rights to be respected.

From BBC

You can learn more about the Labour MPs who are in key positions in the government in the short biographies below of each member of the cabinet and the ministers who attend its meetings.

From BBC

South Korean companies have promised to invest billions of dollars in key US industries in the coming years, partly as a way to avoid tariffs.

From BBC

Officials at the time defended the district’s efforts to provide technology — and in key respects, the nation’s second-largest school system outpaced many other places.

From Los Angeles Times

Club sources say that in key metrics, such as claimed crosses, shot stopping, preventing goals from rebounds and mistakes, or rather the lack of them, Lammens rates exceptionally highly.

From BBC