Synonyms of vital

vital

adjective

ˈvī-tᵊl 

1

as in energetic

having active strength of body or mind

a man who remained vital well into his 90s

Synonyms & Similar Words

• energetic
• dynamic
• robust
• powerful
• vigorous
• lively
• healthy
• strong
• tough
• capable
• mighty
• lusty
• fit
• flush
• athletic
• spirited
• red-blooded
• sturdy
• peppy
• hale
• muscular
• kinetic
• vivacious
• brisk
• sprightly
• hardy
• energized
• animated
• rugged
• gingery
• sound
• competent
• vitalized
• fortified
• virile
• firm
• rejuvenated
• stalwart
• punchy
• stout
• invigorated
• beefy
• dashing
• enlivened
• burly
• refreshed
• revitalized
• puissant
• brawny
• mettlesome
• robustious
• hearty
• husky
• strapping
• able-bodied

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• weak
• dull
• sluggish
• feeble
• delicate
• faint
• weakened
• frail
• listless
• lethargic
• torpid
• powerless
• impotent
• infirm
• wan
• tired
• soft
• effete
• prostrate
• lazy
• languid
• lackadaisical
• ill
• unhealthy
• indolent
• enervated
• unsound
• sapped
• invertebrate
• nerveless
• disabled
• unwell
• wasted
• wimpy
• spineless
• debilitated
• prostrated
• decrepit
• broken-down
• worn-out

2

as in active

having much high-spirited energy and movement

the child is vital and active again after being sick

Synonyms & Similar Words

• active
• energetic
• lively
• animate
• animated
• brisk
• bouncing
• enthusiastic
• awake
• spirited
• cheerful
• kinetic
• playful
• vivacious
• sprightly
• perky
• sparky
• gay
• mettlesome
• jazzy
• pizazzy
• springy
• frisky
• zippy
• pert
• peppy
• pizzazzy
• spanking
• jaunty
• up
• racy
• eager
• airy
• agile
• bright
• snappy
• on the go
• alert
• dapper
• spiffy
• keen
• nimble
• dashing
• buoyant
• nervous
• wide-awake
• upbeat
• effervescent
• spry
• sparkly
• exuberant
• chirpy
• agog
• boisterous
• bubbly
• chipper
• open-eyed
• chirrupy
• ebullient
• impish
• high-spirited
• frolicsome
• high-strung
• pixieish
• skittish

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dead
• inactive
• lifeless
• inanimate
• limp
• languid
• listless
• leaden
• lazy
• inert
• sluggish
• weary
• tired
• indolent
• sleepy
• lackadaisical
• vapid
• languishing
• spiritless
• lethargic
• tedious
• languorous
• dull
• boring
• apathetic
• irksome
• stolid
• impassive
• torpid
• unambitious
• phlegmatic

3

as in essential

impossible to do without

I forgot one vital ingredient, and now the biscuits taste strange

Synonyms & Similar Words

• essential
• necessary
• integral
• required
• needed
• needful
• crucial
• critical
• imperative
• important
• must-have
• requisite
• indispensable
• all-important
• mandatory
• key
• of the essence
• compulsory
• basic
• prerequisite
• fundamental
• major
• necessitous
• meaningful
• momentous
• urgent
• organic
• central
• obligatory
• substantial
• significant
• pressing
• persistent
• insistent
• consequential
• nonelective
• material
• weighty

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unnecessary
• needless
• nonessential
• unwanted
• unimportant
• dispensable
• insignificant
• unneeded
• unessential
• extra
• undesired
• inessential
• external
• excess
• superfluous
• inconsequential
• extraneous
• surplus

4

as in lethal

likely to cause or capable of causing death

received a vital wound in the abdomen

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lethal
• deadly
• fatal
• poisonous
• infectious
• harmful
• infective
• dangerous
• toxic
• killer
• terminal
• hazardous
• deathly
• injurious
• mortal
• destructive
• baleful
• deleterious
• pernicious
• fell
• murderous
• risky
• perilous
• baneful
• serious
• pestilent
• virulent
• threatening
• noxious
• pestilential
• parlous
• menacing
• ugly
• jeopardizing
• bloody
• unhealthy
• sublethal
• truculent
• sanguinary
• grave
• grievous
• unsound
• sanguine
• internecine

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• beneficial
• healthy
• healthful
• wholesome
• salutary
• useful
• salubrious
• nonlethal
• restorative
• nonfatal
• corrective
• advantageous
• remedial
• curative
• tonic
• safe
• nontoxic
• alleviative
• nonpoisonous

5

as in crucial

of the greatest possible importance

a matter that is vital to our national security

Synonyms & Similar Words

• crucial
• key
• critical
• pivotal
• essential
• fundamental
• basic
• necessary
• decisive
• elementary
• instrumental
• life-or-death
• urgent
• requisite
• life-and-death
• indispensable
• pressing
• weighty

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• minor
• unimportant
• trivial
• insignificant
• inconsequential

6

as in refreshing

having a renewing effect on the state of the body or mind

after the long, dreary winter, we welcomed the vital rays of the summer sun

Synonyms & Similar Words

• refreshing
• restorative
• vitalizing
• reviving
• stimulating
• tonic
• bracing
• medicinal
• rejuvenating
• healthy
• stimulative
• cordial
• beneficial
• invigorating
• strengthening
• therapeutic
• helpful
• life-giving
• exhilarating
• healthful
• sharp
• conditioning
• animating
• corrective
• curative
• quickening
• remedial
• wholesome
• salutary
• salubrious
• rehabilitative
• reformative
• rectifying
• recuperative
• exhilarative
• reparative
• curing
• reformatory
• remedying

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• draining
• weakening
• debilitating
• exhausting
• injurious
• deadening
• deleterious
• pernicious
• numbing
• sapping
• enervating
• wearying
• enfeebling
• unhealthy
• noxious
• unhealthful
• unwholesome
• insalubrious

Synonym Chooser

How is the word vital different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of vital are cardinal, essential, and fundamental. While all these words mean "so important as to be indispensable," vital suggests something that is necessary to a thing's continued existence or operation.

cut off from vital supplies

When might cardinal be a better fit than vital?

In some situations, the words cardinal and vital are roughly equivalent. However, cardinal suggests something on which an outcome turns or depends.

a cardinal rule in buying a home

When can essential be used instead of vital?

While the synonyms essential and vital are close in meaning, essential implies belonging to the very nature of a thing and therefore being incapable of removal without destroying the thing itself or its character.

conflict is essential in drama

Where would fundamental be a reasonable alternative to vital?

While in some cases nearly identical to vital, fundamental applies to something that is a foundation without which an entire system or complex whole would collapse.

fundamental principles of algebra

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of vital

Drones could deliver the vital equipment before paramedics are even on scene, buying precious time. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2025

Getting enough essential nutrients is vital, and zinc is one mineral that the body needs for various functions. —Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 8 Sep. 2025

The path from boiler rooms to boardrooms is not only possible but increasingly vital in a corporate world hungry for Leaders and managers who demonstrate resilience, problem-solving, and operational discipline. —Dan Ringo, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Rare earth magnets, which can withstand high heat, are vital to many products including washing machines, cars and fighter jets. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025