importantly

adverb

im·​por·​tant·​ly im-ˈpȯr-tᵊnt-lē 

 especially Southern US and New England  -tənt-,

-dənt-

1

—used to say that what follows in a sentence is important

… much more importantly he stands a chance of having his publication barred …

—H. L. Mencken

2

a

: in an important way

… contributed importantly to the language of the field.

—Ernst Mayr

… the real story is importantly different from the one surmised.

—Alexander Woollcott

b

: in a self-important or pompous manner

… he talked importantly of the managerial position he had reached, after a lifetime of devotion and toil …

—William Trevor

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

The result speaks for itself: billions of views, millions of followers, and most importantly, a trusted voice in an often-chaotic online health information landscape. —Ian Shepherd, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025

The most significant figures are the two morning skates in 17 games, the nine practices in 37 days, and, perhaps most importantly, the five travel days, which are days where the Canadiens did nothing but travel. —Arpon Basu, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025

Lastly and perhaps most importantly: Will Neel and Hayna find a way to keep in touch? —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 19 Jan. 2025

More importantly, just 10 minutes of charge provided over half the battery life, and that all is delivered from the unthinkable technology placed into the Taycan and other models. —Marc D Grasso, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 2