prioritize
pry-OR-uh-tyz
/praɪˈɒrətaɪz/
To arrange or treat things in order of importance or urgency.
Involves active evaluation and conscious choice to put key items first while postponing lesser tasks.
The story behind the word. A modern creation from the mid-20th century, combining Latin 'prior' (former, preceding) with the suffix '-ize'. It arose in administrative and business jargon to describe systematic time-management before entering standard English.
Word relationships
- rank: Rank merely orders items; prioritize actively allocates attention and resources based on that order.
- emphasize: Emphasize gives special importance to something in speech or thought; prioritize acts upon importance.
- neglect: Neglect means giving no attention or priority.
- procrastinate: Procrastinate delays action altogether rather than ordering tasks.
Commonly confused with
- precede: Precede means coming before in time or space naturally; prioritize is a deliberate choice to place first.
Word family
- priority (noun): A thing that is regarded as more important than others.
- prioritization (noun): The action of prioritizing.
Collocations
- prioritize tasks
- prioritize safety
- prioritize workload
- rigorously prioritize
Idioms & expressions
- put first things first
- triage tasks
Example sentences
- "To meet the aggressive deadline, the project manager had to prioritize core software functions." Time management
- "Health authorities must prioritize vaccine distribution to vulnerable populations." Public health
Memory hook
PRIOR (first) + IZE = to make something first. Put first things first.
When not to use
Do not use when doing all tasks simultaneously without order.
Fun facts
- The word 'priority' was singular for 500 years; only in the 20th century did people start speaking of plural 'priorities'.
Related words
Explore more words
give priority, procrastinate, designate, optimize, allocate, deliberate
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