importance

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العربية الفصحى
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/ɪmˈpɔːrtəns/
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The quality that makes something matter, extending to rank or status and to measured weight in rankings or models.
Practice using importance in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • The port grew in importance after the railway arrived.
  • The algorithm assigns an importance score to each signal.
  • The decision was of great importance to the town.
  • He was keenly aware of his own importance.
  • List the tasks in order of importance.

Similar words

relevance
weight
import
significance
standing
influence
moment
weight
influence
relevance

Meanings

Value or consequence

noun
everyday
neutral
The quality that makes something matter, deserve attention, or affect what happens.

Usage

Use importance for how much something matters, especially in phrases like of importance, the importance of, and attach importance to.

Examples

  • The report stressed the importance of clean water.
  • Education takes on added importance during a crisis.
  • List the tasks in order of importance.
  • The decision was of great importance to the town.
  • She does not underestimate the importance of listening carefully.

Common mistakes

The adjective important is used where the noun importance is needed.
IncorrectCorrect
This issue is of great important. This issue is of great importance.
She explained the important of sleep. She explained the importance of sleep.
They attached importance for the deadline. They attached importance to the deadline.
The meeting has an importance decision. The meeting has an important decision.

Similar words

significance
consequence
value
weight
import
moment
relevance

Rank or standing

noun
social
neutral
High rank, influence, or status that makes a person, place, or role noticed and respected.

Usage

Use importance for status in phrases such as a person of importance, grow in importance, and own importance.

Examples

  • The port grew in importance after the railway arrived.
  • He was keenly aware of his own importance.
  • Several people of importance attended the ceremony.
  • The role lost importance when the department was reorganized.
  • The city’s political importance has declined.

Common mistakes

With status, of importance is the usual phrasing, not with importance.
IncorrectCorrect
She is a person with importance in local politics. She is a person of importance in local politics.
His own important made him arrogant. His own importance made him arrogant.
The town grew in important after the railway opened. The town grew in importance after the railway opened.
They treated him like importance person. They treated him like a person of importance.

Similar words

prominence
influence
status
standing
prestige
rank

Model or ranking weight

noun
technology
technical
A measured score or assigned priority showing how much an item, variable, or feature contributes within a model, ranking, or decision.

Usage

Use importance for a relative weight or score, and add the method or context because feature importance is not the same as causality.

Examples

  • Feature importance helps explain which inputs drive a model.
  • The algorithm assigns an importance score to each signal.
  • The survey ranked safety and price by relative importance.
  • Permutation importance dropped when the feature was shuffled.
  • Task importance can change as a project nears its deadline.

Common mistakes

A high importance score is treated as proof of real-world cause.
IncorrectCorrect
Feature importance proves age causes the result. Feature importance shows how much age helped the model predict the result.
The importance is 0.4, so the feature is true. The importance is 0.4, so the feature had a measurable effect in this model.
We compared importances from two models as if they were identical. We compared importances only after checking the models and metrics.
Permutation importance is always the same as tree importance. Permutation importance and tree importance can rank features differently.

Similar words

weight
priority
ranking
score
influence
relevance

Usage

Use importance for the noun, reserve important for the adjective, and give enough context to show whether the idea is value, status, or measured weight.

Common mistakes

Important is used where importance is needed, and importance to or of importance is often replaced by the wrong preposition.

Etymology

From Middle French importance, from Medieval Latin importantia, built on importare, meaning "bring in" and later "imply, mean, be of consequence."

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