im·por·tance

[im-pawr-tns]
noun
1.
the quality or state of being important; consequence; significance.
2.
important position or standing; personal or social consequence.
3.
consequential air or manner: an air of bustling importance.
4.
Obsolete. an important matter.
5.
Obsolete, importunity.
6.
Obsolete, import or meaning.

Origin:
1495–1505; < Medieval Latin importantia. See important, -ance

pre·im·por·tance, noun
un·im·por·tance, noun

importance, impotence (see synonym study at the current entry).


1. moment, weight, concern. Importance, consequence, significance, moment all signify something valuable, influential, or worthy of note. Importance is the most general of these, assigning exceptional or notable value or influence to a person or thing: the importance of Einstein's discoveries. Consequence may suggest outstanding personal quality or position, or it may suggest importance because of results to be produced: a woman of consequence in world affairs; an event of great consequence for our future. Significance can be used interchangeably with importance or consequence, but it carries also the implication of importance that is not readily or immediately recognized: The significance of the discovery only became clear years later. Moment on the other hand, almost always refers to immediately apparent, self-evident importance: a change of great moment for the nation's political system.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To importance
00:10
Importance is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Collins
World English Dictionary
importance (ɪmˈpɔːtəns) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the state of being important; significance
2.  social status; standing; esteem: a man of importance
3.  obsolete
 a.  meaning or signification
 b.  an important matter
 c.  importunity

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Example sentences
He was overburdened not so much by the weight of his learning as by a mistaken
  sense of its importance and authority.
Mounting evidence of our inner zombie at work has led some scientists to
  downplay the importance of our aware selves.
But because of its importance and because it's so old it's had a much richer
  life than many people.
Brands, in the modern sense of the word, were of importance only in champagne.
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