Vital
adj, name ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 Relating to or characteristic of life.
"vital energies; vital functions; vital actions"
- 2 Necessary to the continuation of life; being the seat of life; being that on which life depends.
"The brain is a vital organ."
- 3 Invigorating or life-giving.
- 4 Necessary to continued existence.
"The transition to farming was vital for the creation of civilisation."
- 5 Relating to the recording of life events.
"Birth, marriage and death certificates are vital records."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Very important.
"It is vital that you don't forget to do your homework."
- 7 Containing life; living.
"spirits that live throughout, vital in every part"
- 8 Lively, having vitality
"Montreal is a charming vital city with a large lesbian and gay population which clusters around a neighborhood not far from the center of town."
- 9 Capable of living; in a state to live; viable.
"Pythagoras and Hippocrates […] affirming the birth of the seventh month to be vital."
- 1 manifesting or characteristic of life wordnet
- 2 full of spirit; full of life wordnet
- 3 performing an essential function in the living body wordnet
- 4 urgently needed; absolutely necessary wordnet
- 1 A surname.
Example
More examples"The elevators in a skyscraper are vital systems."
Etymology
From Middle English vital, from Old French vital, from Latin vītālis (“of life, life-giving”), from vīta (“life”), from vīvō (“I live”). Doublet of jiva and quick.
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.