importance
C1Formal to neutral
Definition
Meaning
The quality or state of being significant, valuable, or worthy of attention.
The degree to which something matters or has influence; the quality of having great value or significance in a particular context, often implying priority or consequence.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Abstract noun derived from 'important'. Often used to express relative value, priority, or consequence. Can imply a subjective judgment (what someone considers important) or an objective state (inherent significance).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences. Minor potential variation in collocational preference (e.g., 'attach importance to' is slightly more formal and common in UK English).
Connotations
Identical in both varieties. Carries connotations of seriousness, priority, and consequence.
Frequency
Equally high-frequency in both UK and US English across all registers.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
attach importance to [something]place importance on [something]of [adjective] importanceimportance of [noun/gerund]importance to [someone/something]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “of the first importance”
- “puff up one's own importance”
- “full of one's own importance”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to strategic priority, market significance, or value of a client/initiative (e.g., 'The importance of customer retention cannot be overstated.').
Academic
Used to discuss the significance of a theory, finding, or variable within a field (e.g., 'The study highlights the importance of socio-economic factors.').
Everyday
Used for personal priorities, tasks, or social values (e.g., 'She explained the importance of being on time.').
Technical
Can denote statistical significance, criticality in engineering, or priority in computing (e.g., 'The algorithm assigns a level of importance to each node.').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The minister will importance the new trade figures in her speech. (Rare/archaic usage)
American English
- (The verb 'to importance' is obsolete and not used in modern English.)
adverb
British English
- (No direct adverb; use 'importantly'. 'Importancely' is non-standard.)
American English
- (No direct adverb; use 'importantly'.)
adjective
British English
- (No direct adjective; the base is 'important'. 'Importancive' is non-standard.)
American English
- (No direct adjective; the base is 'important'.)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The teacher talked about the importance of eating fruit.
- I understand the importance of being kind.
- They emphasised the importance of regular exercise for health.
- This document is of great importance to the case.
- The report underestimates the importance of cultural factors in the negotiation process.
- She places a high degree of importance on work-life balance.
- The strategic importance of the region has been a constant in foreign policy for decades.
- While acknowledging the importance of economic indicators, the study argues for a more nuanced socio-political analysis.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: IMport (like bringing in goods) + ANCE. You bring in (import) things that have value and significance, hence their 'importance'.
Conceptual Metaphor
IMPORTANCE IS SIZE/WEIGHT (e.g., 'great importance', 'carries little weight'), IMPORTANCE IS HEIGHT (e.g., 'paramount importance', 'of the first importance'), IMPORTANCE IS A PHYSICAL OBJECT (e.g., 'attach importance to', 'place importance on').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque 'важность' for all contexts; in English, 'importance' is more abstract and less colloquial. Russian 'важность' can imply 'pomposity' (важный вид), which 'importance' does not.
- Do not confuse with 'importancy' (archaic).
- The phrase 'It is important' is often more natural than 'It has importance'.
Common Mistakes
- Using as a countable noun (*'an importance'). It is uncountable.
- Misspelling as 'imporance' or 'importence'.
- Incorrect preposition: *'importance for doing' instead of 'importance of doing'.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is a strong collocation with 'importance'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is almost always uncountable. You cannot say 'an importance' or 'importances' in standard modern English.
They are often synonyms. 'Importance' more strongly suggests value, priority, or necessity ('of great importance to finish on time'), while 'significance' can lean more towards meaning or implication, especially in academic contexts ('the statistical significance of the result').
Yes, but it leans slightly formal. In very casual speech, people might use phrases like 'It's a big deal' or 'It really matters' instead of 'It is of great importance'.
It depends on the structure. Common patterns are: 'the importance OF something', 'importance TO someone', and in verbal phrases 'attach/place importance ON something'.