What does importance mean?
Importance means the significance, value, or relevance of a person, event, idea, or thing. It is used when something affects decisions, concerns, attention, or outcomes, as in "the importance of reliable evidence" or "the importance of the final agreement." The word can describe an inherent quality, as with an issue of national importance, or a judgment made by someone, as when a committee attaches great importance to a particular recommendation. In general contexts, it often means that something is worthy of serious attention rather than being trivial. The related adjective important is especially common in everyday speech, while the noun is somewhat more formal and frequently appears in official, academic, and institutional writing. Its Latin roots connect it with import and with the broader family of words involving carrying or bringing in.
nounThe fact of being important, significant, or worthy of attention. Importance can refer to the significance of a matter or to the degree of value or influence attributed to someone or something.
- The quality or condition of being important, significant, or worthy of attention.
- The degree of value, influence, or relevance attached to a person, thing, event, or idea.
"The decision has far greater importance than the newspaper initially suggested."
"The importance of protecting the environment should be taught to children from an early age."
"She understated the importance of the negotiations until the consequences became clear."
The plural is grammatically possible but uncommon; the singular is normally preferred even when referring to several matters of significance.
"The report compared the relative importances of the two proposals."
The word importance ultimately points to what is brought in or carried in: it grew from the idea of carrying a matter into a sphere of concern.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of importance
The noun entered English in the late 16th century, formed from important, which in turn comes from Latin importare, meaning "to bring in" or "to carry in." The development of the Latin word was influenced by importare, associated with portare, "to carry." The English family includes important, import, export, portable, and transport, all sharing a root concerned with carrying, bringing, or conveying.
Related word forms
How importance is actually used
Importance is a formal and widely used noun. It often appears in phrases such as "of great importance" and "attach importance to"; in less formal writing, "importance" may be replaced by expressions such as "how much something matters."
Easily confused with importance
Importance usually concerns the value or relevance of something, while significance can emphasize its meaning or broader importance, especially in formal or academic contexts.
Importance is a noun referring to significance, whereas import is a verb or noun referring to bringing goods into a country or something that is brought in.