priority
C1Formal, Neutral
Definition
Meaning
Something that is more important than other things and should be dealt with first.
The right to be treated or dealt with before other people or things; also, in computing, a system for assigning the order of importance to tasks.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily used as a countable noun. The concept often implies a hierarchy or ranking.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in core meaning or usage.
Connotations
Same neutral-to-formal connotation in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally high frequency in both UK and US English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
to give priority to [noun phrase]to take priority over [noun phrase]to be a priority for [someone]to have priorityVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “First priority”
- “Priority number one”
- “Jump the priority queue”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
In business, it refers to strategic goals, project tasks, or resource allocation that must be addressed first for success.
Academic
In academic writing, it denotes the order of importance in research questions, arguments, or methodological steps.
Everyday
Used to discuss managing daily tasks, family needs, or personal goals.
Technical
In computing, refers to a value assigned to a process determining its order for access to system resources.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- We need to prioritise customer feedback.
- The council has prioritised road repairs.
American English
- We need to prioritize customer feedback.
- The council has prioritized road repairs.
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- This is a priority issue.
- Send it via priority mail.
American English
- This is a priority issue.
- Send it via priority mail.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My first priority is my family.
- Homework is a priority for students.
- Safety is our top priority at this event.
- I need to make a list of my priorities for the week.
- Environmental concerns should take priority over short-term economic gains.
- The manager outlined the company's strategic priorities for the coming quarter.
- Given the budget constraints, we must ruthlessly prioritise which projects receive funding.
- The principle of 'lives before property' meant rescue operations were given absolute priority.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
PRIORity = PRIOR + ity. Think of what is PRIOR (coming before) other things.
Conceptual Metaphor
IMPORTANCE IS HIGH POSITION (e.g., 'top priority'), IMPORTANCE IS BEING FIRST IN LINE.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid directly translating from Russian 'приоритетный' as an adjective to 'priority' as a noun. Use 'priority' as a noun or 'prioritised' as an adjective.
- Do not confuse with 'privilege'. A priority is about order, a privilege is about a special right.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect pluralisation: 'prioritys' instead of 'priorities'.
- Incorrect article use: 'He is my priority' (correct) vs. 'He is a my priority' (incorrect).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'priority' used INCORRECTLY?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is primarily countable (e.g., 'We have three priorities'). It can be uncountable when referring to the general concept of precedence (e.g., 'This matter deserves priority').
'Important' describes the significance of something. 'Priority' describes its ranking compared to other important things; it's about the order of handling.
Use it to say one thing is more important and should be dealt with before another. Structure: '[Thing A] takes priority over [Thing B].' Example: 'Health takes priority over work.'
The common adjective is 'priority' used attributively (a priority task). The verb-derived adjectives are 'prioritised' (UK) / 'prioritized' (US). 'Prior' is a different adjective meaning 'earlier' or 'previous'.
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