a highly important

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a highly important" is not considered correct in standard written English.
It is generally better to use "very important" or "highly significant" instead. Example: "This project is highly important for the future of our company."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

54 human-written examples

Naples was, furthermore, a highly important center for trade and a cultural crossroads that undoubtedly served as an important resource for Boccaccio's wide-ranging tales in the Decameron.

Columbia University

In such a context, the energy efficiency (EE) represents a highly important metric in the design of green cellular systems [3, 4].

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

"It's a highly important Romantic portrait in the style of Ingres," Mr. Tinterow said.

The New York Times - Arts

"Tomatsu was a highly important mentor of younger Japanese photographers," Brueggemann told me.

The New Yorker

More recently, the German scholar Armin Schlechter stumbled in 2005 upon a highly important document.

The New York Times - Arts

The possibilities of expressing structural meanings are a highly important part of any language.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

6 human-written examples

It's a highly-important game for the fans and it's a semi-final.

BBC

And the second concerns proof analysis, a highly important part of Hilbert's work on Euclidean geometry and geometrical systems generally.

SEP

Amazingly, many students felt that gay marriage was a highly important issue.

The New York Times

"He is now a highly important player for us in a key position," said the Ulster team manager.

BBC

Although not a highly important variable, there was variation in salmon use among years.

BMC Ecology

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

While "a highly important" is frequently used, consider using alternatives like "very important" or "extremely significant" for grammatically sound writing. Tailor your choice based on the specific nuance you wish to convey.

Common error

Avoid using "highly" as a universal intensifier. Vary your vocabulary with more precise adjectives like "crucial", "vital", or "significant" to enhance clarity and impact.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a highly important" functions as a pre-modifying adjective phrase, intensifying the importance of a noun. Despite concerns about its grammatical correctness, as noted by Ludwig AI, it's widely used to emphasize the significance of something.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

48%

News & Media

35%

Academia

5%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

2%

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while Ludwig AI indicates that the phrase "a highly important" isn't strictly correct in standard written English, its pervasive use across diverse fields like science, news, and academia makes it practically acceptable. Despite grammatical reservations, its purpose is to emphasize significance, with alternatives like "very important" or "extremely significant" offering safer grammatical choices. When writing, keep in mind the context and weigh the desired emphasis against grammatical precision.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a very important

Replaces "highly" with "very", offering a slightly less formal tone.

an extremely important

Substitutes "highly" with "extremely", intensifying the level of importance.

a significantly important

Uses "significantly" instead of "highly", emphasizing the measurable impact of the importance.

a remarkably important

Replaces "highly" with "remarkably", highlighting the noteworthiness of the importance.

a crucially important

Substitutes "highly" with "crucially", underscoring the critical nature of the importance.

a paramount important

Uses "paramount" instead of "highly", suggesting a supreme level of importance.

a decidedly important

Replaces "highly" with "decidedly", giving a sense of certainty to the importance.

a notably important

Substitutes "highly" with "notably", drawing attention to the conspicuous nature of the importance.

a vitally important

Uses "vitally" instead of "highly", emphasizing the essential nature of the importance for survival or success.

a supremely important

Replaces "highly" with "supremely", indicating the highest possible degree of importance.

FAQs

Is "a highly important" grammatically correct?

While commonly used, especially in journalism and scientific writing, the phrase "a highly important" is considered grammatically questionable. It's often better to use "very important" or "highly significant".

What are some alternatives to "a highly important"?

You can use alternatives like "a very important", "a crucially important", or "an extremely important" depending on the context.

When is it appropriate to use "a highly important"?

Although not strictly incorrect, using alternatives such as "a very important" or "a significantly important" may be more appropriate for formal contexts. However, the usage of "a highly important" is so widespread that it is acceptable in many contexts.

What's the difference between "a highly important" and "a very important"?

While both phrases convey significance, "a very important" is generally considered more grammatically sound and versatile. "A highly important" is frequent, but some style guides recommend avoiding it in favor of "a very important" or other alternatives depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.