Importance

//ɪmˈpɔːtəns// noun

noun ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The quality or condition of being important or worthy of note. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    the quality of being important and worthy of note wordnet
  3. 3
    significance or prominence. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    a prominent status wordnet
  5. 5
    personal status or standing. countable, uncountable
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  1. 6
    Something of importance. countable, uncountable

    "It was incessant matter for amazement how these Olympians would talk over our heads - during meals, for instance - of this or the other social or political inanity, under the delusion that these pale phantasms of reality were among the importances of life."

Synonyms

All synonyms
significanceaccentaccountascendancyauthoritycachet

Example

More examples

"Despite the importance of sleep, its purpose is a mystery."

Etymology

From Middle English importaunce, from Middle French importance, from Medieval Latin importantia. By surface analysis, import (“to be important”) + -ance.

Related phrases

place importance onself-importance

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.