importance

importance — noun

1. how much something matters — the degree to which it affects people, situations,

1.nounB1
Definition

how much something matters — the degree to which it affects people, situations, or events, or the fact that people consider it valuable or necessary.

Example

The children did not understand the importance of wearing helmets when riding bikes.

importance of + gerund (wearing)

Élise stressed the importance of saving money for emergencies during the team meeting.

stressed the importance of + gerund

Common collocations
  • great importance
  • paramount importance
  • vital importance
  • little importance
  • no importance
  • attach importance to
  • place importance on
  • of importance
  • stress the importance of
  • emphasize the importance of
  • recognize the importance of
  • highlight the importance of
  • grasp the importance of
  • growing importance
  • declining importance
Synonyms
  • significance

    very close synonym; often used in similar contexts but slightly more formal and emphasizes meaning or implication rather than general weight.

  • value

    focuses on worth, usefulness, or desirability rather than general impact.

  • consequence

    more formal; stresses the results or effects of something rather than its intrinsic weight.

  • weight

    more figurative; often used with carry or give (e.g., 'carry weight'), suggesting influence or authority in a decision.

Antonyms
  • unimportance

    direct opposite; less common in everyday speech, used in writing or formal contexts.

  • insignificance

    emphasizes that something does not matter or has no meaningful effect.

  • triviality

    suggests that something is not only unimportant but also petty or unworthy of serious attention.

Grammar Patterns

the importance of [noun/gerund]

of [adjective] importance

attach/place importance on/to

Usage Note

Often used in the pattern 'the importance of + noun/gerund.' Common verb collocates include stress, emphasize, understand, recognize, highlight, appreciate, and grasp. Also appears in the fixed phrase 'of (great / little / no / paramount) importance.'

Common Mistakes

I know the important of learning English.
I know the importance of learning English.
'important' is an adjective; the noun form 'importance' is needed after 'the.'
This is an importance decision.
This is an important decision.
use the adjective 'important' before a noun, not 'importance.'

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe something that matters, but they emphasise different angles. Importance is the broadest, everyday word for how much something affects people or events (“The importance of sleep cannot be overstated.”). Significance adds the idea of meaning or deeper implication — a discovery may be significant because of what it reveals, not just because it has a big effect. Consequence is more formal and points toward outcomes or results (“The consequence of the ruling was felt nationwide.”). Value focuses on worth or usefulness to someone (“Her advice had great value for young entrepreneurs.”). In many contexts importance and significance are interchangeable, but significance often carries a hint of symbolic or historical weight that importance does not.

importance ↗significance ↗consequence ↗value ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • of great importance
  • of little importance
  • of paramount importance
  • of no importance
  • attach importance to
  • place importance on

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'importance' entered English from Old French 'importaunce', which came from the Latin 'importantia' meaning 'significance' or 'weight.' The Latin root 'importare' originally meant 'to bring in' or 'to carry' — the idea being that something important 'carries weight' or 'brings meaning' into a situation. By the 1500s it had taken on the modern sense of 'the quality of mattering.'