Meaning 1
Necessary to life, success, or proper functioning.
Reach for it when stressing that something is essential rather than merely useful
Clean water is vital to the health of every settlement.
Meaning 2
Full of life, energy, or animated force.
Reach for it when describing a person, performance, or quality whose aliveness is prominent
At ninety, she remained a vital presence in the neighborhood workshop.
| Meaning 1 | Meaning 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| everyday | ||
| warm |
| |
| professional | ||
| formal |
everyday
Fits when the requirement should be stated without emphasis
Careful Necessary is neutral and may understate urgency or life-supporting importance.
professional
crucial
Fits when a factor has decisive influence on the outcome
Careful Crucial can be one important turning point rather than a continuing necessity.
professional
Fits when something cannot be omitted without failure
Careful Essential is precise but carries none of vital's connection to life or survival.
formal
Fits when no adequate substitute exists
Careful Indispensable is stronger and can overstate a contribution that is vital but replaceable.
everyday
Fits when visible activity and animation are the simple praise
Careful Lively can be noisy or momentary and need not reflect deep vitality.
warm
Fits when courage or lively feeling gives the presence energy
Careful Spirited can be playful or combative rather than broadly vital.
professional
Fits when active change or momentum drives the impression
Careful Dynamic praises change or energy without establishing healthy vitality.
professional
Fits when strong active energy is evident
Careful Vigorous is more forceful and can miss quiet intellectual aliveness.
vital role
Local interpreters play a vital role in emergency care.
vital resource
The shaded well is a vital resource during the dry season.
vital presence
Her vital presence kept the weekly workshop curious and welcoming.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated
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