headly

9.9

Most important or highest in rank

adjective

Archaic

: principal

Their headly concern was the welfare of the entire community.

Examples

In this project, the headly goal is to reduce costs.
In ancient times, the headly warrior led the tribe into battle.
The headly reason for the meeting was to discuss the new policy.
The CEO is the headly figure in the company.
The headly objective of the conference is to improve communication between teams.
The headly factor in her decision was the opportunity for career advancement.
As the headly researcher, he was responsible for leading the entire study.

Synonyms

main

vsheadly

∞ 1.0

Most important or central in a situation

focuses more on formal highest rank rather than general primacy

chief

vsheadly

991 3.2

The main thing that matters most

is the term for highest rank and overall importance

principal

vsheadly

168 2.8

Most important person or thing in a situation

is about highest overall rank and importance rather than role emphasis

high-ranking

vsheadly

80 4.2

A person who has an important senior job in an organization

refers to the highest overall rank and importance not just seniority

uppermost

vsheadly

5 4.4

In the most important place in your mind

means highest rank and importance rather than mere prominence

Antonyms

minor

497 2.4

Not very important or serious

secondary

243 3.5

Less important than the main thing or coming after it

How Important

paramount

45 6.7

headly

Archaic

9.9

important

∞ 1.0

secondary

243 3.5

minor

497 2.4

Surface Forms

headly positive

Morphology

headly = head (semi-transparent) = head + ly

The suffix '-ly' typically forms adverbs, but here it forms an adjective, which may not be immediately obvious to learners.

Etymology

Headly comes from the common word head, which means 'leader' or 'top', plus the adjective ending -ly. Think of the 'head' of a group or a 'headline' on a page; so headly means the chief or 'most important' thing.