all-important

adjective

all-im·​por·​tant ˌȯl-im-ˈpȯr-tᵊnt 

-tənt

: of very great or greatest importance

an all-important question

Synonyms of all-important

• essential
• necessary
• integral
• required
• needed
• needful
• vital
• critical
• crucial

Examples of all-important in a Sentence

that all-important item for a successful birthday party: a fancily decorated cake with candles

Recent Examples on the Web

Coming up, Democrats have their candidate to replace Graham Platner, the all-important Maine Senate race. — ABC News, 26 July 2026

The all-important figure is simply box office, and if those reviews don’t translate into people showing up to watch the film, that means nothing. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

It is also engraved with that all-important serial number, which marks the moment when the dual-balance timepiece first became commercially available. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 21 July 2026

The company’s all-important Robotaxi service is dramatically smaller than Elon Musk predicted. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 21 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for all-important

• unimportant
• important

Kids Definition

all-important

adjective

all-im·​por·​tant

ˌȯ-lim-ˈpȯrt-ᵊnt, 

-ənt

: of very great importance

an all-important question