| Main Entry: | pivotal |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | important |
Synonyms: |
cardinal, central, climactic, critical, crucial, decisive, determining, essential, focal, middle, momentous, overriding, overruling, principal, ruling, vital |
Antonyms: |
inconsequential, unimportant, unsubstantial |
| Main Entry: | cardinal |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | important, key |
Synonyms: |
basal, basic, central, chief, constitutive, essential, first, foremost, fundamental, greatest, highest, indispensable, leading, main, overriding, overruling, paramount, pivotal, preeminent, primary, prime, principal, ruling, vital |
Antonyms: |
inessential, insignificant, minor, negligible, secondary, unimportant |
| Main Entry: | central |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | main, principal; in the middle |
Synonyms: |
axial, basic, cardinal, center, centric, centroidal, chief, dominant, equidistant, essential, focal, foremost, fundamental, important, inmost, inner, interior, intermediate, key, leading, master, mean, median, mid, middle, middlemost, midmost, midway, nuclear, omphalic, outstanding, overriding, paramount, pivotal, predominant, primary, prime, radical, ruling, salient, significant, umbilical |
Antonyms: |
exterior, minor, outside, peripheral, secondary |
| Main Entry: | critical |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | urgently important |
Synonyms: |
acute, all-important, climacteric, conclusive, consequential, crucial, dangerous, deciding, decisive, desperate, determinative, dire, exceptive, grave, hairy*, hazardous, high-priority, integral, momentous, perilous, pivotal, precarious, pressing, risky, serious, significant, strategic, urgent, vital, weighty |
Antonyms: |
trivial, uncritical, unimportant |
| Main Entry: | crucial |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | critical, important |
Synonyms: |
acute, central, clamorous, climacteric, climatic, compelling, deciding, decisive, desperate, dire, essential, hanging by thread, high-priority, imperative, insistent, momentous, necessary, on thin ice, pivotal, pressing, searching, showdown, touch and go, touchy, urgent, vital |
| Notes: | the words crucial, essential, and vital cannot be qualified (cannot be more or less...) |
Antonyms: |
inessential, trivial, uncritical, unimportant |
| Main Entry: | key |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | essential, important |
Synonyms: |
basic, chief, crucial, decisive, fundamental, indispensable, leading, main, major, material, pivotal, primary, principal, vital |
Antonyms: |
inessential, insignificant, nonessential, unimportant |
| Main Entry: | life-and-death |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | extremely important |
Synonyms: |
all-important, consequential, critical, crucial, determining, earth-shaking, earth-shattering, essential, imperative, important, indispensable, life or death, meaningful, of vital importance, paramount, pivotal, serious, significant, urgent, vital, vitally important |
| Main Entry: | momentous |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | important; serious |
Synonyms: |
big, chips are down, consequential, considerable, critical, crucial, decisive, earth-shaking, earth-shattering, epochal, eventful, far-reaching, fateful, grave, heavy, heavy number, historic, material, meaningful, memorable, notable, of moment, outstanding, pivotal, significant, substantial, vital, weighty |
Antonyms: |
immaterial, insignificant, trifling, trivial, unimportant |
| Main Entry: | overriding |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | central, most important |
Synonyms: |
cardinal, compelling, determining, dominant, final, main, major, number one, overruling, paramount, pivotal, predominant, prevailing, primary, prime, principal, ruling, supreme, ultimate |
Antonyms: |
insignificant, least, unimportant |
| Main Entry: | ruling |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | dominant, governing |
Synonyms: |
cardinal, central, commanding, controlling, leading, overriding, overruling, pivotal, regnant, reigning, sovereign, supreme, upper |
Antonyms: |
inferior, subjective, submissive, yielding |