key

1 coming before all others in importance maintains that Sir Isaac Newton remains the key figure in physical science Synonyms of key 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), supremeWords Related to key 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 of key inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, minor, negligible, slight, trifling, trivial, unimportant; collateral, inferior, secondary, subordinate, subsidiaryAntonyms of key last, least

2 of the greatest possible importance first—and this is key—I wasn't even there that evening Synonyms of key critical, crucial, pivotal, vitalWords Related to key decisive, life-and-death (also life-or-death), weighty; basic, elementary, fundamental; essential, indispensable, necessary, requisite; pressing, urgentNear Antonyms of key 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 of key legendWords Related to key scale; caption; guide, table

2 something that allows someone to achieve a desired goal a good education is the key to success Synonyms of key gateway, passport, open sesame, secret, ticketWords Related to key 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 of key access, accession, admission, admittance, door, doorway, entrée (or entree), entry, gateway, ingress, entrance, passport, ticketWords Related to key approval, authorization, certification, permission, qualification; open door, welcome matNear Antonyms of key 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 of key accommodate, attune, conciliate, conform, coordinate, harmonize, reconcileWords Related to key 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 of key confuse, disarray, disorder, disorganize, disrupt, disturb, skew, upset; alienate, estrangeAntonyms of key disharmonize