chief

chief — adjective

1. describes the thing that matters more than any other in a particular situation o

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes the thing that matters more than any other in a particular situation or group — for example, the chief worry for a family moving abroad is usually finding a good school.

Example

One of our chief goals this year is to reduce waste in the factory.

position: only before noun

The chief advantage of living in a small town is the sense of community.

Common collocations
  • chief concern
  • chief reason
  • chief goal
  • chief advantage
  • chief cause
  • chief problem
Synonyms
  • main

    more common in everyday speech; interchangeable in most contexts

  • primary

    slightly more formal; often used for stages or order (primary vs secondary)

  • principal

    formal; common in legal or financial contexts (principal reason, principal amount)

  • key

    emphasises that something is essential for a result to happen

Antonyms
  • minor

    less important; opposite in degree

  • secondary

    comes second in importance or order

Usage Note

Only used before a noun — you can say 'the chief problem' but not 'the problem is chief'. Often pairs with nouns like reason, concern, goal, advantage, cause.

Common Mistakes

The chief problem is expensive.' (trying to use as complement).
The chief problem is the cost.
chief must come before the noun it describes.

2. used in job titles to show that someone holds the highest position or rank withi

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

used in job titles to show that someone holds the highest position or rank within an organisation — for example, a chief economist is the top economist at a bank or government agency.

Example

The chief engineer approved the final design for the bridge.

collocation: chief + job title

Dr. Okafor was named chief medical officer at the city hospital.

Common collocations
  • chief executive
  • chief financial officer
  • chief medical officer
  • chief engineer
  • chief inspector
  • chief adviser
Synonyms
  • head

    less formal; used in 'head teacher', 'head of department'

  • lead

    used in 'lead singer', 'lead investigator'; emphasises the guiding role

  • senior

    indicates higher rank but not necessarily the very highest

Antonyms

Usage Note

Always appears directly before a job title. The titles chief executive officer (CEO), chief financial officer (CFO), and chief operating officer (COO) are common in business and are often abbreviated.

Common Mistakes

She is a chief in the hospital.' (vague).
She is the chief surgeon at the hospital.' (must be followed by a specific title).

chief — noun

Word family

  • chiefly
    adverbB2
  • chieftain
    nounC1
  • chiefdom
    nounC2
  • chieftainship
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These four words all describe something of the greatest importance, but they differ in register and typical use. Main is the most common in everyday conversation — you might say 'the main reason' or 'the main problem' in casual chat with friends. Primary often suggests a ranking order, as in 'primary school' (the first level) or 'primary goal' (the first goal to achieve before others). Principal is more formal and appears in legal, academic, or financial writing — for example, 'the principal objective of the treaty' or 'principal amount of a loan'. Key emphasises that something is essential for a particular result, like 'key evidence' in a trial or 'key skills' for a job. In practice, a learner can safely use main in most situations and switch to primary or principal for formal essays. For example: 'The main issue is cost' works in speech, while 'The principal concern of this study is urban poverty' fits a research paper.

main ↗primary ↗principal ↗key ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • chief among them
  • chief of all

Prepositions

  • chief of
  • chief among

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Chief entered English around the 1200s from Old French 'chief' meaning 'head, leader, or top part'. The French word came from Latin 'caput', which means 'head'. The original idea was that the head is the most important part of the body, so chief came to describe the person or thing that leads or matters most. By the 1400s, it was used both as a noun for a leader and as an adjective for 'most important'.