important

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adjective

American English pronunciation: important

/ɪmˈpɔrt(ə)nt/

Other entries for this word

Related dictionary definitions

Metaphor

1
something that is important has a major effect on someone or something, for example because it affects someone's life or the way a situation develops
Music was an important part of the life of the community.
important to:
Your interest and support are important to your child.
important for:
Winning the game yesterday was important for the team's morale.
it is important (that):
It is vitally important that they receive all the help available.
it is important to do something:
It is important to stress that the study only involved a small number of people.
be important in doing something:
Information and support are important in helping people deal with serious illness.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of important
Collocations: important
Collocations
important1
▪ crucially, extremely, most, particularly, terribly, vitally
important1
▪ aspect, element, factor, feature, issue, part, point
2
important people have a lot of influence or power
We can't afford to lose such an important customer.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of important

Metaphor: important

Metaphor

Being important is like being large or heavy. Being unimportant is like being small or light.

This is a big opportunity for me.
He is the greatest writer of the twentieth century.
It is a sizable/massive achievement.
These are weighty matters.
Her ideas carry a lot of weight with the boss .
She's a performer who has grown in stature.
They are the only intellectual heavyweights in the cabinet.
I have two little points to make.
There are some tiny mistakes to correct.
The novel seems very lightweight/thin/slight.
I don't expect you to be impressed – it must seem very small potatoes to you.
I'd rather be a big fish in a little pond than the other way around.

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This is the American English definition of important. View British English definition of important.

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View the pronunciation for important.

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