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pri·or·i·tize (prī-ôrĭ-tīz, -ŏr-)
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v. pri·or·i·tized, pri·or·i·tiz·ing, pri·or·i·tiz·es
v.tr.
1. To arrange or deal with in order of importance.
2. To treat or consider as of greater importance than other matters: economic policies that prioritize job creation.
v.intr.
To put things in order of importance.


pri·ori·ti·zation (-tĭ-zāshən) n.

Usage Note: Like many verbs ending in -ize, prioritize has been tainted by association with corporate and bureaucratic jargon. Even though the word still does not sit well with some, it should be considered standard. In our 2008 survey, two-thirds of the Usage Panel accepted it in the sentence Overwhelmed with work, the lawyer was forced to prioritize his caseload. Barely half of the Panel accepted this same sentence in 1997. Acceptance may have increased not simply from familiarity but from usefulness, as there is no exact synonym. See Usage Note at finalize.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.