imperative

imperative

adjective

Definition of IMPERATIVE

1

forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law <reporting signs of physical abuse is now an imperative duty for hospital and school personnel>

Synonyms compulsory, forced, imperative, incumbent, involuntary, necessary, nonelective, obligatory, peremptory, required

Related Words all-important, essential, indispensable, needed, requisite; insistent, persistent, pressing, urgent; demanded, enforced; coercive

Near Antonyms chosen, discretionary; dispensable, unnecessary, unneeded, unwanted; inconsequential, insignificant, nonessential, unimportant

Antonyms elective, optional, voluntary

2

impossible to do without <proper equipment is imperative for the success of this chemical experiment>

Synonyms all-important, critical, imperative, indispensable, integral, must-have, necessary, necessitous, needed, needful, required, requisite, vital

Related Words prerequisite; compulsory, mandatory, nonelective, obligatory; consequential, crucial, important, major, material, meaningful, momentous, significant, substantial, weighty; basic, central, fundamental, key, organic; insistent, persistent, pressing, urgent

Near Antonyms undesired, unwanted; inconsequential, insignificant, unimportant; excess, external, extra, extraneous, superfluous, surplus

Antonyms dispensable, inessential, needless, nonessential, unessential, unnecessary, unneeded

3

needing immediate attention <an imperative need for medical supplies in the earthquake-ravaged country>

Synonyms burning, clamant, compelling, critical, crying, dire, emergent, exigent, imperative, imperious, importunate, instant, necessitous, pressing, urgent

Related Words demanding, extreme, immediate, insistent, intense, overriding; crucial, desperate, grave, life-and-death (also life-or-death), serious, severe, vital; dangerous, explosive, hazardous, perilous, precarious, unstable

Near Antonyms incidental, low-pressure, minor, negligible, trivial, unimportant; nonthreatening, safe, stable

Antonyms noncritical, nonurgent