major
Definitions
Important, serious, or significant; greater in size, number, or rank.
主要的；重大的；（在规模、数量或级别上）较大的。
A student's main field of study at college; (also) the student studying it.
（大学的）主修专业；主修该专业的学生。
An army officer ranking above captain and below lieutenant colonel.
（军衔）少校。
To study something as one's main subject at college (major in).
主修（某专业）。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedmajor is Latin maior, the comparative of magnus (great) — literally 'greater.' Of two things, the greater one is the one that matters, so 'greater' slid into 'more important / principal.' That single shift covers all its uses: a major problem (more significant), a major (the principal field of study), and an army major (a higher-ranking officer).
Root maj still carries 25 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.a major problem/issue重大问题
- 2.major role重要作用
- 3.major in [subject]主修（某专业）
- 4.major cities大城市
- 5.major changes重大变化
Example Sentences
- 1.
Climate change is a major challenge for every government.
- 2.
She decided to major in computer science.
- 3.
The major led his battalion across the bridge.
- 4.
There are major differences between the two proposals.
Easily Confused
major vs main vs principal — all mean 'most important,' but major implies it's significant relative to others (a major factor, among several factors), main means the single chief one (the main reason), and principal is formal and often singular (the principal cause). You can have several major factors but usually one main reason.
Synonym Comparison
- major — significant relative to others; greater in scale or rank
- main — the single chief one
- principal — formal; the foremost
- significant — notable, worth attention (statistical or general)
- key — crucial, the one that unlocks the rest