adjective
vital
VIE-tul/ˈvaɪtl/
Necessary for maintaining life.
Water absorbed by a plant's roots is vital to its survival.
Etymology
Originally “relating to life,” vital developed the sense “essential to life.” That necessity then extended beyond living things to anything indispensable or extremely important.
In context
it is therefore absolutely vital that there is resourcing of predator control. That is very important.
More examples
- Oxygen is vital for human survival.
- The rib cage protects vital organs, including the heart and lungs.
- Insulin is vital for people with type 1 diabetes.
Similar words
- essential
- Essential can describe any necessity, not just survival.
- indispensable
- Indispensable emphasizes that something cannot be done without, whatever the purpose.