IMPORTANCE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does importance mean? 

• IMPORTANCE (noun)
  The noun IMPORTANCE has 2 senses:

1. the quality of being important and worthy of note

2. a prominent status

  Familiarity information: IMPORTANCE used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• IMPORTANCE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The quality of being important and worthy of note

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

the importance of a well-balanced diet

Hypernyms ("importance" is a kind of...):

value (the quality (positive or negative) that renders something desirable or valuable)

Attribute:

important; of import (of great significance or value)

unimportant (not important)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "importance"):

big deal (anything of great importance or consequence)

magnitude (relative importance)

account (importance or value)

momentousness (utmost importance)

prominence (relative importance)

greatness; illustriousness (the property possessed by something or someone of outstanding importance or eminence)

significance (the quality of being significant)

essentiality; essentialness (basic importance)

urgency (pressing importance requiring speedy action)

weight; weightiness (the relative importance granted to something)

Antonym:

unimportance (the quality of not being important or worthy of note)

Derivation:

important (of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis)

important (of great significance or value)

important (important in effect or meaning)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A prominent status

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

grandness; importance

Context example:

a person of importance

Hypernyms ("importance" is a kind of...):

standing (social or financial or professional status or reputation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "importance"):

accent; emphasis (special importance or significance)

primacy (the state of being first in importance)

Derivation:

important (having authority or ascendancy or influence)

 Context examples 

I gather from his wire that there have been some new incidents of importance.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

These results underscore the importance of early diagnosis and treatment with antiretroviral therapy.

(HIV can spread early, evolve in patients’ brains, NIH)

This highlights the importance of the ESR1 gene and its protein product, the Estrogen Receptor, in breast cancer development.

(Detailed genetic study provides most comprehensive map of risk to date of breast cancer risk, University of Cambridge)

Norfolk was what he had mostly to talk of: there he had been some time, and everything there was rising in importance from his present schemes.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

The findings reveal the importance of soil pore structure for stimulating soil carbon accumulation and protection.

(Scientists discover new mechanism for how soils store carbon, National Science Foundation)

Hence the importance of studies that approach both food‑related disorders from an integrative perspective.

(Obesity and food restrictions proven to be associated with less food enjoyment, University of Granada)

This research points out the importance of comprehensive studies of ecosystems.

(Sharks, the seagrass protectors, National Science Foundation)

Something of importance to you will culminate within four days of February 8, and it points to your romantic relationship.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

I shall try not to miss anything of importance.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

This study demonstrates the importance of building bone during youth.

(Physical Activity Brings Lasting Bone Benefits, NIH, US)