INDEX:
1. not important
2. what you say when something is not important
3. less important than something else
4. someone who is not important
5. something that is not important
6. to make something seem less important than it really is
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ IMPORTANT
see also
↑ SMALL
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1. not important
▷ not important/unimportant /nɒt ɪmˈpɔːʳt ə nt, ˌʌnɪmˈpɔːʳt ə nt◂/ [adjective] formal
not likely to cause problems or to have an important effect on something :
▪ ‘I forgot to add the olive oil.’ ‘Don’t worry -- it’s not important.’
▪ I don’t want to waste time arguing over unimportant details.
▪ It is not important that you understand everything at this stage.
▪ Critics have dismissed his work as unimportant.
▷ minor /ˈmaɪnəʳ/ [adjective]
a minor problem, accident, disagreement etc is small and does not have a serious effect or result :
▪ Two car windows were broken and minor damage was done to some shops.
▪ She suffered some minor injuries in the accident.
▪ We’ve had a few minor problems with the new computer system.
▷ insignificant/not significant /ˌɪnsɪgˈnɪfɪkənt, nɒt sɪgˈnɪfɪkənt/ [adjective]
not important enough to worry about, especially because there are other problems that are much more serious :
▪ The level of radiation was considered ‘insignificant’ and not a danger to health.
▪ There is a slight difference in the way men and women are affected by the drug, but this is not really significant.
▪ After a week of negotiations, the differences between the two sides are now relatively insignificant.
▪ EU financiers say that recent problems on the US stock markets were not significant for Europe.
▷ petty /ˈpeti/ [adjective]
something such as a problem, argument, or worry that is petty is so unimportant that it seems silly or selfish for someone to talk or worry about :
▪ We started having arguments over petty little things.
▪ The meeting spent too much time on petty issues, and didn’t address the real problem.
▷ trivial /ˈtrɪviəl/ [adjective]
unimportant and not serious, and not worth worrying about or spending time or effort on :
▪ No, I don’t think your question is trivial at all.
▪ Why waste time watching trivial TV programs?
▪ The issue of where the peace talks will be held may seem trivial, but to the participants it is very important.
▷ small /smɔːl/ [adjective only before noun]
not important and not likely to take long to deal with or correct :
▪ Your essay’s very good -- there are just one or two small points I’d like to discuss.
▪ There were a couple of small things I wanted to talk to you about.
▪ We had a few small problems when we were putting the design together, but it works fine now.
▷ be of no importance /biː əv ˌnəʊ ɪmˈpɔːʳt ə ns/ [verb phrase] formal
to not be important, and be unlikely to affect anything in a serious way :
▪ If you’re capable of doing the job, your age is of no importance.
▪ These are small details and probably of no importance.
2. what you say when something is not important
▷ it doesn’t matter /ɪt ˌdʌz ə nt ˈmætəʳ/ spoken
say this to tell someone that something is not important and will not cause any serious problems :
▪ ‘We’ve missed the train.’ ‘It doesn’t matter - there’s another one in 10 minutes.’
it doesn’t matter if/whether/what etc
▪ It doesn’t matter if you’re a few minutes late. We’ll wait for you.
▪ It doesn’t matter what other people think. You should do what you think is best.
▷ it makes no difference/it doesn’t make any difference /ɪt ˌmeɪks nəʊ ˈdɪf ə rəns, ɪt ˌdʌz ə nt meɪk eni ˈdɪf ə rəns/
say this when you think something is not important enough to affect what happens or change what someone decides :
▪ ‘Do you want cash or a cheque?’ ‘It doesn’t make any difference.’
▪ Even if she had known he was lying it would have made no difference.
▪ It doesn’t make any difference whether you use fresh berries or frozen ones.
it makes no difference/it doesn’t make any difference to somebody
▪ It makes no difference to me if you want to go.
it makes no difference/it doesn’t make any difference to something
▪ You can have a single room or a double -- it makes no difference to the price.
▷ it’s no big deal / it’s not a big deal /ɪts ˌnəʊ bɪg ˈdiːl, ɪts ˌnɒt ə bɪg ˈdiːl/ spoken
say this when you do not think something is important or worrying, even though other people may think it is :
▪ My leg’s a little sore, but it’s no big deal.
▪ Just copy your work onto a disk - it’s no big deal.
▪ She assumed he’d be furious, but the whole incident just wasn’t a big deal to him.
▷ it’s nothing /ɪts ˈnʌθɪŋ/ spoken
say this when you think something is not important and you do not want other people to worry about it :
▪ ‘Are you okay?’ ‘Yeah, it’s nothing.’
▪ ‘Why do you want to speak to Danny? Is he in trouble again?’ ‘No, it’s nothing, really. We just want to ask a couple of questions.’
3. less important than something else
▷ secondary /ˈsekənd ə riǁ-deri/ [adjective]
less important than the main subject, problem etc :
▪ The government sees unemployment as a secondary issue.
▪ The study found that women were often reduced to secondary roles in the workplace.
secondary to
▪ Tourism is secondary to oil revenues as a source of income.
▷ subsidiary /səbˈsɪdiəriǁ-dieri/ [adjective] formal
a subsidiary idea, question, subject etc is less important than the main one but it is connected with it :
▪ If you take the English literature course, you can do linguistics as a subsidiary subject.
subsidiary to
▪ The formulation of a lasting peace settlement was the main objective, and everything else was seen as subsidiary to it.
▷ incidental /ˌɪnsɪˈdentl◂, ˌɪnsəˈdentl◂/ [adjective]
happening or existing in connection with or as a result of something else that is more important :
▪ The Red Cross will provide money for food, housing, and incidental expenses.
incidental to
▪ The puzzles are fun, but are incidental to the plot of the book.
purely incidental
▪ The concert is just for fun, really. Any profit we make from it will be purely incidental.
▷ marginal /ˈmɑːʳdʒɪn ə l, ˈmɑːʳdʒən ə l/ [adjective]
too small and unimportant to have any useful or noticeable effect :
▪ The difference between the two cars is marginal.
▪ a marginal increase in sales
▷ peripheral /pəˈrɪf ə rəl/ [adjective]
relating to the main activity, question, or subject, but much less important than it :
▪ It is a society in which women’s rights and concerns are still treated as peripheral.
▪ Too much money is being spent on peripheral programs when our kids can’t read or do basic math.
peripheral to
▪ The romance was peripheral to the movie’s main plot.
▷ be of secondary/minor/less etc importance /biː əv ˌsekənd ə ri ɪmˈpɔːʳt ə nsǁ-deri-/ [verb phrase]
to be not very important compared to other things :
▪ It’s the perfect job for him - the salary is of secondary importance.
▪ Police are increasingly regarding cannabis use as being of minor importance compared with other forms of crime.
▪ We must stop treating mental illness as being of less importance than physical disabilities.
▷ side issue /ˈsaɪd ˌɪʃuː/ [countable noun]
a subject or question that results from or is connected with the main one being considered, but is much less important :
▪ The meeting seemed to focus on side issues, without ever really addressing the main point.
▪ One of the side issues that arose was what to do with the old equipment when the new things arrived.
▷ pale into insignificance /ˌpeɪl ɪntʊ ɪnsɪgˈnɪfɪkəns/ [verb phrase]
if someone’s problems or achievements pale into insignificance when they are compared to something else, they are clearly much less important :
▪ Our difficulties pale into insignificance when compared to the problems of the homeless.
4. someone who is not important
▷ not important /nɒt ɪmˈpɔːʳt ə nt/ [adjective]
▪ He’s not really an important figure in the organization.
▪ Don’t worry about the critics. They’re not important - they just think they are.
▷ insignificant /ˌɪnsɪgˈnɪfɪkənt/ [adjective]
not important enough or powerful enough to worry about or treat seriously :
▪ The anti-war group was an insignificant minority within the party.
▪ The spies’ payroll included insignificant clerks and highly placed officials.
▷ the little guy /ðə ˈlɪtl gaɪ/ [singular noun] especially American, informal
a person or organization that is not important because they do not have any power or influence :
▪ He got rich trading illegally on the stock market, using the little guy’s money.
▪ When the big retailers open a store, the little guys lose business.
▷ lightweight /ˈlaɪt-weɪt/ [countable noun]
someone who is well-known, for example in politics or literature, but is not really respected or considered to be important :
▪ His books are tremendously popular, but most of the critics regard him as a lightweight.
political/intellectual/literary etc lightweight
▪ It would be dangerous to dismiss her as a political lightweight.
▷ a nobody /ə ˈnəʊbədiǁ-bɑːdi/ [countable noun usually singular] informal
someone who is considered to be unimportant because they are not famous, powerful, or rich :
▪ He went from being a nobody to being paid $2 million a year.
▪ I felt like a complete nobody when I lost my job.
▷ nonentity /nɒˈnentɪti, nɒˈnentətiǁnɑː-/ [countable noun]
someone who is not at all important, powerful, or interesting, and has no special qualities or skills :
▪ Next to him, the other dancers seemed like nonentities.
▪ He packed his government with nonentities, who would never challenge his leadership.
▷ small fry /ˈsmɔːl fraɪ/ [plural noun] informal
a person or group who has very little power or importance compared to other people or organizations :
▪ Environmental groups are small fry against the power of the big multinationals.
▪ Only the small fry on the drugs scene got caught by the police.
5. something that is not important
▷ trivia /ˈtrɪviə/ [uncountable noun]
information or facts that are not important and have no real use or value :
▪ The magazine was full of trivia and gossip.
▪ I find that I can remember trivia such as old sports results, but I can’t remember the things that I really need to remember.
6. to make something seem less important than it really is
▷ trivialize also trivialise British /ˈtrɪviəlaɪz/ [transitive verb]
to write or talk about something in a way that makes it seem less serious or important than it really is :
▪ The newspaper’s headlines trivialized the war, making it seem like a game.
▪ Judges feared that showing the trial on television would trivialize the legal process.
▷ play down/downplay /ˌpleɪ ˈdaʊn, daʊnˈpleɪ/ []
to pretend that a problem, illness etc is less important or serious than it really is :
▪ He accused drug companies of downplaying the risks of the new drug.
▪ She downplayed any suggestion that there had been a leak in the chemical factory.
play down something
▪ The government is trying to play down the seriousness of the unemployment figures.
play something down
▪ The plan will cause a lot of changes, but officials are trying to play it down.
▷ belittle /bɪˈlɪtl/ [transitive verb]
to say or do something that makes someone’s efforts or achievements seem unimportant or useless :
▪ Good teachers never belittle their students.
▪ Does your boss constantly belittle your contribution to the department?
▷ understate /ˌʌndəʳˈsteɪt/ [transitive verb]
to describe the size, value, or importance of something in a way that makes it seem less than it really is :
▪ I think you are understating the importance to young people of a stable home life.
▪ In the report, the incidence of violent crime is consistently understated.
▷ underestimate /ˌʌndərˈestɪmeɪt, ˌʌndərˈestəmeɪt/ [transitive verb]
to wrongly think that something is less important than it really is :
▪ People often underestimate the importance of human relationships in successful companies.
▪ Never underestimate the value of really good training.