prioritize
pry-OR-ih-tyze
/praɪˈɔːrɪtaɪz/
To designate or treat something as more important than other things.
It involves a conscious choice to ignore some tasks in favor of others.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'prior,' meaning 'first.' Interestingly, for centuries, the word 'priority' was singular—you could only have one 'first' thing. It wasn't until the industrial revolution that we started talking about 'priorities' in the plural.
Word relationships
- rank: Ranking is just putting things in order; prioritizing is acting on that order.
- neglect: To fail to care for something properly.
Commonly confused with
- organize: Organizing is arranging; prioritizing is deciding what matters most.
Word family
- priority (noun): the fact or condition of being regarded as more important.
Collocations
- prioritize tasks
- heavily prioritize
- need to prioritize
- prioritize safety
Idioms & expressions
- first things first
Example sentences
- "You have to prioritize your own well-being if you want to be effective at work." Advice on productivity.
- "The company decided to prioritize customer satisfaction over short-term profits." Business strategy.
Memory hook
Prioritize starts with 'Prior'—put the 'Prior' (first) things first. The first of many.
When not to use
Don't use it when everything is equally important—that's the opposite of prioritizing.
Fun facts
- The word 'prioritize' didn't become common in English until the 1940s.
Related words
Explore more words
give priority, procrastinate, designate, optimize, allocate, deliberate
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