imperative

²im·per·a·tive

noun \im-ˈper-ə-tiv, -ˈpe-rə-\

Definition of IMPERATIVE

1

: the grammatical mood that expresses the will to influence the behavior of another or a verb form or verbal phrase expressing it

2

: something that is imperative (see ¹imperative): as a : command, order b : rule, guide c : an obligatory act or duty d : an obligatory judgment or proposition

Examples of IMPERATIVE

1. She considers it a moral imperative to help people in need.
2. “Eat your spinach!” is in the imperative.
3. “Go” and “buy” are imperatives in the sentence “Please go to the store and buy some milk.”
4. Ellroy has got to be the only writer who still uses “dig” as an imperative … —Laura Miller, New York Times Book Review, 20 May 2001
5. Indeed, under pressure from a new way of life in which radiant heat from woodburning stoves must circulate unimpeded by dividers, virtually every house with a chimney today has abandoned the closed-door imperative of the high-technology kitchen. —Maxine Kumin, In Deep, 1987
6. “Maturity” had been a code word … for marriage and settling down; “growth” implied a plurality of legitimate options, if not a positive imperative to keep moving from one insight or experience to the next. —Barbara Ehrenreich, New York Times Magazine, 20 May 1984

Origin of IMPERATIVE

(see ¹imperative)

First Known Use: 1530

Related to IMPERATIVE

Synonyms: behest, charge, commandment, decree, dictate, direction, directive, do, edict, command, injunction, instruction, order, word

Related Words: demand, requirement; mandate; countermand, counterorder; law, precept, prescript, prescription, rule; ordinance, regulation, statute

Near Antonyms: appeal, entreaty, petition, plea, urging; proposal, recommendation, suggestion

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