vital

[ vahyt-l ]

adjective

1. of or relating to life:

   vital processes.

2. having remarkable energy, liveliness, or force of personality:

   a vital leader.

3. being the seat or source of life:

   the vital organs.

4. necessary to life:

   vital fluids.

5. necessary to the existence, continuance, or well-being of something; indispensable; essential:

   vital for a healthy society.

   Synonyms: critical, important

6. affecting the existence, well-being, truth, etc., of something:

   a vital error.

7. of critical importance:

   vital decisions.

8. destructive to life; deadly:

   a vital wound.

vital

/ ˈvaɪtəl /

adjective

1. essential to maintain life

   the lungs perform a vital function

2. forceful, energetic, or lively

   a vital person

3. of, relating to, having, or displaying life

   a vital organism

4. indispensable or essential

   books vital to this study

5. of great importance; decisive

   a vital game

6. archaic.
   influencing the course of life, esp negatively

   a vital treachery

noun

1. plural
   1. the bodily organs, such as the brain, liver, heart, lungs, etc, that are necessary to maintain life
   2. the organs of reproduction, esp the male genitals
2. plural the essential elements of anything

Derived Forms

• ˈvitally, adverb

Other Words From

• vital·ly adverb
• vital·ness noun
• non·vital adjective
• non·vital·ly adverb
• non·vital·ness noun
• quasi-vital adjective
• quasi-vital·ly adverb
• super·vital adjective
• super·vital·ly adverb
• super·vital·ness noun
• un·vital adjective
• un·vital·ly adverb
• un·vital·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vital¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin vītālis, equivalent to vīt(a) “life” (derivative of vīvere “to live”; akin to Greek bioûn, Sanskrit jīvati “(he) lives,” English quick ( def ) ) + -ālis -al ¹( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of vital¹

C14: via Old French from Latin vītālis belonging to life, from vīta life

Example Sentences

She said that alongside vital training for teachers, there are also practical measures a school can put in place such as the option to "skip certain lessons depending on the topics".

From BBC

John Prescott was an old-style political bruiser who played a vital role in the New Labour project.

From BBC

And John Prescott, with his strong union links and no-nonsense approach, offered vital support, not least in the abolition of the union block vote that had been Labour policy for years.

From BBC

Most importantly, streamlining the carbon capture process helps reframe what scientists know about the carbon cycle, and is a vital step to setting up more complex strategies for faster and more efficient climate mitigation technologies.

From Science Daily

For Beijing, scrambling to meet rapidly growing electricity demand, nuclear had, and still has, a vital role to play.

From BBC

Related Words

• basic
• critical
• crucial
• decisive
• fundamental
• imperative
• important
• indispensable
• integral
• key
• meaningful
• necessary
• needed
• significant
• urgent