# important

/ˌɪmˈpɔɹtənt/ (US) · /ɪmpˈɔːtənt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/important
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. significant or valuable

adjective · CEFR A1

having a big effect on people or things; something you must care about.

For teachers: having great significance, value, or influence; essential for a particular purpose or outcome.

- It is important to drink enough water when the weather is hot.
- The CEO emphasized that maintaining a positive company culture was just as important as meeting their quarterly financial targets.

### 2. having high status

adjective · CEFR B1

having a lot of power, authority, or a high position in society.

For teachers: possessing great authority, power, or social standing.

- She had a meeting with some very important people from the government.
- The gala was attended by several important figures in the local arts community, all of whom were eager to support the new museum wing.

### 3. pompous

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal · Literary

behaving as if you are much more special or powerful than you really are.

For teachers: behaving in a way that suggests a high opinion of one's own importance; often used in the compound 'self-important'.

- He walked into the room with an important air, looking down at everyone.
- The official's important manner and refusal to listen to the public's concerns eventually led to his dismissal from the council.

Usage: Often appears as 'self-important' in modern contexts.

## Examples

- It is important to drink enough water every day.
- The manager has an important meeting this afternoon to discuss the company's future budget.
- While the immediate results were modest, the experiment provided important data that eventually led to a breakthrough in renewable energy storage.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.