ensisijäinen

Ensisijäinen is a Finnish adjective meaning of primary importance or first in rank, priority, or sequence. It is used to describe something that should be addressed or considered before others, such as a task, goal, principle, or requirement. In formal and administrative language, ensisijäinen is common for marking priority in planning, policy documents, education, research, and organizational contexts. It often contrasts with toissijainen, which means secondary or subordinate.

The term is traditionally formed from ensisija, a noun referring to priority or the first place, together with the suffix -inen, which yields an adjective describing a characteristic. Related nouns include ensisijaisuus (primacy, priority) and related phrases such as ensisijainen prioriteetti or ensisijainen tehtävä. In usage, ensisijäinen conveys a normative sense—that some matter should be given priority over others, especially in decision-making or resource allocation.

Common examples of usage include phrases like ensisijainen prioriteetti, which signals that a certain objective takes precedence, or ensisijäinen tehtävä, referring to the main task in a project or operation. The term can carry varied nuance depending on context, ranging from a practical ordering of steps to a principled stance about what is most important.

In summary, ensisijäinen denotes primary importance or priority, serving to designate what should be addressed first or most fully in Finnish discourse.