vital

American  

[vahyt-l] / ˈvaɪt l /

adjective

1. of or relating to life.

   vital processes.

2. having remarkable energy, liveliness, or force of personality.

   a vital leader.

3. being the seat or source of life.

   the vital organs.

4. necessary to life.

   vital fluids.

5. necessary to the existence, continuance, or well-being of something; indispensable; essential.

   vital for a healthy society.

   Synonyms:

   critical, important

6. affecting the existence, well-being, truth, etc., of something.

   a vital error.

7. of critical importance.

   vital decisions.

8. destructive to life; deadly.

   a vital wound.

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vital British  

/ ˈvaɪtəl /

adjective

1. essential to maintain life

   the lungs perform a vital function

2. forceful, energetic, or lively

   a vital person

3. of, relating to, having, or displaying life

   a vital organism

4. indispensable or essential

   books vital to this study

5. of great importance; decisive

   a vital game

6. archaic influencing the course of life, esp negatively

   a vital treachery

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noun

1. (plural)

   1. the bodily organs, such as the brain, liver, heart, lungs, etc, that are necessary to maintain life

   2. the organs of reproduction, esp the male genitals

2. (plural) the essential elements of anything

Other Word Forms

• nonvital adjective
• nonvitally adverb
• nonvitalness noun
• quasi-vital adjective
• quasi-vitally adverb
• supervital adjective
• supervitally adverb
• supervitalness noun
• unvital adjective
• unvitally adverb
• unvitalness noun
• vitally adverb
• vitalness noun

Etymology

Origin of vital

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin vītālis, equivalent to vīt(a) “life” (derivative of vīvere “to live”; akin to Greek bioûn, Sanskrit jīvati “(he) lives,” English quick ( def. ) ) + -ālis -al ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

A patient's vital signs are their important body functions, such as pulse rate, that shows they are still alive. Use the adjective vital to describe something that is important and necessary, or a person full of energy. Vital descends from Middle English, from Old French, from Latin vītālis, from vīta, "life." If you are vital to the organization you work for, it means they cannot live without you — or at least that you're an important part of the team. If you're a vital force in your church volunteer group, you probably are a leader with lots of energy to give.

Example Sentences

Skydio’s investment will pour $1 billion into boosting domestic production of vital parts and components used to build drones.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

The incident with the CIA officials comes as both governments are starting to review the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which is vital for Mexico’s export-led economy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Welsh Labour said they would not comment, while a Plaid Cymru spokesperson said social media was a "vital, cost-effective way to connect directly with voters across Wales".

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

But Gelsinger had fallen short in vital areas, Goldberg told MarketWatch, including failing to adequately cut costs and struggling to improve the overall company culture to incentivize employees.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 25, 2026

Invoking special vital forces or inventing mystical fluids to explain life was unnecessary.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• basic
• critical
• crucial
• decisive
• fundamental
• imperative
• important
• indispensable
• integral
• key
• meaningful
• necessary
• needed
• significant
• urgent