key

1 coming before all others in importance maintains that Sir Isaac Newton remains the key figure in physical science Synonyms arch, big, capital, cardinal, central, chief, dominant, first, grand, great, greatest, highest, foremost, leading, main, master, number one (also No. 1), numero uno, overbearing, overmastering, overriding, paramount, predominant, preeminent, premier, primal, primary, principal, prior, sovereign (also sovran), supremeRelated Words distinguished, eminent, illustrious, noble, notable, noteworthy, outstanding, prestigious, signal, star, stellar, superior; high-level, senior, top; important, influential, major, mighty, momentous, significant; incomparable, matchless, unequaled (or unequalled), unparalleled, unsurpassed; celebrated, famed, famous, renownedNear Antonyms inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, minor, negligible, slight, trifling, trivial, unimportant; collateral, inferior, secondary, subordinate, subsidiaryAntonyms last, least

2 of the greatest possible importance first—and this is key—I wasn't even there that evening Synonyms critical, crucial, pivotal, vitalRelated Words decisive, life-and-death (also life-or-death), weighty; basic, elementary, fundamental; essential, indispensable, necessary, requisite; pressing, urgentNear Antonyms inconsequential, insignificant, minor, trivial, unimportant

1 an explanatory list of the symbols on a map or chart in order to know what those dotted lines represent, you'll need to look at the key Synonyms legendRelated Words scale; caption; guide, table

2 something that allows someone to achieve a desired goal a good education is the key to success Synonyms gateway, passport, open sesame, secret, ticketRelated Words password; accomplishment, achievement, attainment, coup, success, triumph; approach, manner, means, method, style, system, technique, way; blueprint, design, ground plan, plan, program, scheme, strategy

3 the means or right of entering or participating in he had found the key to her heart Synonyms access, accession, admission, admittance, door, doorway, entrée (or entree), entry, gateway, ingress, entrance, passport, ticketRelated Words approval, authorization, certification, permission, qualification; open door, welcome matNear Antonyms discharge, dismissal, ejection, expulsion, ouster, rejection, removal

to bring to a state free of conflicts, inconsistencies, or differences her response was perfectly keyed to the situation Synonyms accommodate, attune, conciliate, conform, coordinate, harmonize, reconcileRelated Words adapt, tune; blend, combine, connect, correlate, dovetail, fit, fuse, integrate, join, match, merge, orchestrate, pair, square, suit, synchronize, synthesize, unify, unite; align (also aline), arrange, array, balance, equalize, even, order, proportion, regularize, standardizeNear Antonyms confuse, disarray, disorder, disorganize, disrupt, disturb, skew, upset; alienate, estrangeAntonyms disharmonize