Importantly vs. Important: Usage Guide

A number of commentators have objected to importantly as a sentence modifier (the use defined above at sense 1) and have recommended important instead. Actually, both the adverb and the adjective are in reputable standard use in this function. Important is always used with more or most. had bronze weapons and composite bows; more important, they utilized the horse and war chariot — Harry A. Gailey, Jr. second and most important, the book contains no important woman character — F. Scott Fitzgerald Importantly is commonly used in similar contexts, but it is somewhat more flexible in not requiring more or most. sticks and, just as importantly, unsticks easily — Phoebe Hawkins importantly, the leaven in the mixture is quality — George O'Brien

Examples of importantly in a Sentence

Her research has contributed importantly to our understanding of the disease. He strutted to and fro importantly, ordering everybody around.

Recent Examples on the Web Most importantly, a pet blanket should be soft, soothing, and comfortable. — Sara Coughlin, SELF, 12 May 2022 And, most importantly, the costumes are scary as hell! — Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, 11 May 2022 But a few factors are working against China that weren’t present last time as well, most importantly a Fed that is likely to be far less cautious. — Nathaniel Taplin, WSJ, 10 May 2022 Most importantly, the Dodgers were able to rest most of their bullpen ahead of Saturday’s nightcap — with Kershaw’s seven scoreless innings largely to thank. — Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2022 The result, most importantly, is that Americans in economic straits are being shoved back toward the cliff. — Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 7 May 2022 Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, a strong corporate culture is an organization-wide initiative, which means that leadership teams and board members must lead by example. — Sean Thompson, Forbes, 5 May 2022 But most importantly, the shows in the wake of Cosmic Thing are the first since original guitarist Ricky Wilson, brother to Cindy, died of AIDS in late 1985. — Karen Schoemer, SPIN, 1 May 2022 Most importantly, though, Beaty is here for the at-bats. — Bryce Millercolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'importantly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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