to underline the importance
- phrasal verb
- A parallel argument is provided by Quigley, who underlines the importance of recognizing the difference between procedural and substantive democracy.
- also underline the importance
- underline the importance of recognizing
Examples
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Many Dalcroze teachers have underlined the importance of improvisation in teaching.
Academic text (1997) -
Recent studies underline the importance of the human gut microbiome in human health.
Academic text (2018) -
Finally, the Turkish experience since the mid-1940s has underlined the importance of the dynamic relationship between internal and external factors.
Academic text (2005) -
Their responses, which they posted on our class website, underlined the importance of making TEKS and the study of social studies meaningful.
Academic text (2003) -
Recently, G.H. Nobles underlined the importance of the frontier for a later period.
Academic text (1995) -
When using a task analysis similar to Figures 2 and 4 in the classroom, you may find that some of the steps may not be needed for some students; this underlines the importance of developing instruction that addresses individual students' needs.
Academic text (2013) -
Armstrong (1994) underlines the importance of identifying and discussing with students their intelligence domains.
Academic text (2010) -
The Turkish model also shows that secularism is a necessary but not sufficient condition for democracy and thus underlines the importance of secularism within democracy.
Academic text (2005) -
A review of these florulas further underlines the importance of figs to tropical rainforests.
Academic text (2005) -
The teacher wanted to underline the importance of studying regularly for the exam.
Synonyms
To tell someone about something important or show it to them
To show that something is very important
To emphasize something so it stands out as important
To make something seem more important or serious
Make a part of something more noticeable
To show that something is important in speech or writing
Make something stand out as important
Make something seem important or worthy of attention
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
underline + the + importance
The meaning 'to emphasize how significant something is' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'underline' (to highlight or stress) with 'importance' (significance); the determiner 'the' is a function word that does not obscure composition. This is a straightforward verb + noun composition with clear cross-linguistic parallels (e.g. French 'souligner l'importance'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should understand the MWE.
Etymology
The phrase underline the importance comes from the simple act of drawing a line under words on a page to make them stand out. To underline something is to mark it so its importance is clear, so the phrase now means 'to emphasize' or 'show that something is important'.