imperative

adjective im·per·a·tive \ im-ˈper-ə-tiv , -ˈpe-rə- \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: imperative in a Sentence

Definition of imperative

1 a : of, relating to, or constituting the grammatical mood that expresses the will to influence the behavior of another

b : expressive of a command, entreaty, or exhortation

c : having power to restrain, control, and direct

2 : not to be avoided or evaded : necessary

an imperative duty

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imperatively

adverb

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imperativeness

noun

See imperative defined for English-language learners

See imperative defined for kids

Examples of imperative in a Sentence

… I have begun to feel each time as if I am mutilating my antennae (which is how Rastafarians, among others, think of hair) and attenuating my power. It seems imperative not to cut my hair anymore. —Alice Walker, Living by the Word, (1981) 1988
This strange and distorted form of breathing could be interrupted for a minute or two by a strong effort of will, but would then resume its bizarre and imperative character. —Oliver Sacks, Awakenings, 1973
We had a long and interesting evening with the Katzenbachs. He and Lyndon discussed the imperative need to make Washington a law-abiding city and how to go about it. —Lady Bird Johnson 27 Jan. 1965, A White House Diary, 1970
“Eat your spinach!” is an imperative sentence.
“Help” in the sentence “Help me!” is an imperative verb.
a verb in the imperative mood
People resented his imperative tone of voice.

Recent Examples of imperative from the Web

Finding Barrett’s replacement between Dwayne Haskins Jr. and Tate Martell is imperative, as is replacing eight starters on defense.

— chris solari, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan State football predictions 2018: Week 11 vs. Ohio State," 5 June 2018
The social imperative her generation put in place has faded in intensity.

— annie vainshtein, San Francisco Chronicle, "Lesbian archive preserves a time when the Bay Area changed radically," 26 May 2018
This duty becomes a moral imperative in forums where polemic issues take center stage.

— blake d. morant, The Atlantic, "In Praise of Civility," 24 May 2018
Thus the imperative for Mr. Kim to amass an arsenal of nukes and long-range missiles.

— nicholas eberstadt, WSJ, "With Kim Jong Un, There’s No ‘Win-Win’," 23 May 2018
But as the need to ramp up some of these applications increases—for example, to manage encryption keys for thousands of Internet of Things devices—the imperative to find a way to scale them up in the cloud has grown as well.

— sean gallagher, Ars Technica, "Google releases open source framework for building “enclaved” apps for cloud," 3 May 2018
One obvious imperative: House people close to their jobs, since less driving means less pollution.

— james rainey, NBC News, "California’s housing crunch has turned liberals against one another," 28 Feb. 2018
In speeches, debates and ads, Democrats from across the party's ideological spectrum are describing efforts to defend and expand coverage and care as a moral imperative.

— david wright, CNN, "It's health care, stupid! Democrats dig in as midterms ramp up," 31 May 2018
Chavez, a devout Catholic, viewed nonviolence as a moral imperative.

— USA TODAY, "A movement for 'America's promise'," 21 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'imperative.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of imperative

Middle English imperatyf, borrowed from Late Latin imperātīvus, from Latin imperātus, past participle of imperāre "to give orders, command" + -īvus -ive — more at emperor

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First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

imperative Synonyms

Phrases

of the essence;

Synonym Discussion of imperative

masterful, domineering, imperious, peremptory, imperative mean tending to impose one's will on others. masterful implies a strong personality and ability to act authoritatively.

- her masterful personality soon dominated the movement

domineering suggests an overbearing or arbitrary manner and an obstinate determination to enforce one's will.

- children controlled by domineering parents

imperious implies a commanding nature or manner and often suggests arrogant assurance.

- an imperious executive used to getting his own way

peremptory implies an abrupt dictatorial manner coupled with an unwillingness to brook disobedience or dissent.

- given a peremptory dismissal

imperative implies peremptoriness arising more from the urgency of the situation than from an inherent will to dominate.

- an imperative appeal for assistance

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

imperative

noun im·per·a·tive \ 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): such as

a : command, order

b : rule, guide

c : an obligatory act or duty

d : an obligatory judgment or proposition

See imperative defined for English-language learners

Examples of imperative in a Sentence

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
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
"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
She considers it a moral imperative to help people in need.
“Eat your spinach!” is in the imperative.
“Go” and “buy” are imperatives in the sentence “Please go to the store and buy some milk.”

Recent Examples of imperative from the Web

Baquet explains the imperative of switching the Times to a news operation for the digital age.

— david zurawik, baltimoresun.com, "There is no fake news in Showtime's winning 'Fourth Estate'," 25 May 2018
Recently a fourth imperative has been added to make this approach the Quadruple Aim — and that’s improving the well-being of the care team as well.

— steven g. ullmann, ph.d., miamiherald, "An integrated response to the uncertainties in Florida’s healthcare industry | Miami Herald," 21 May 2018
Tradition and nostalgia is all very well, but the financial imperatives are stark.

— jonathan wilson, SI.com, "FA Cup Victory a Probable Farewell Gift for Antonio Conte," 19 May 2018
Focusing on world-building and giving players a communal story to rally around is a business imperative for a free-to-play game like Fortnite.

— nick statt, The Verge, "Fortnite is the biggest game on the planet right now because it’s a living, breathing world," 6 May 2018
But for a cohort of embattled, centrist House Republicans, there’s a different imperative: to help their constituents.

— linda feldmann, The Christian Science Monitor, "A new push on immigration roils the midterms – and House Republicans," 15 May 2018
Elevating more women and underrepresented minorities to positions of power is becoming a business imperative for the firm, with clients demanding diversity in their legal teams, Erickson says.

— ed frauenheim, Fortune, "How Consulting Companies Can Keep Their Employees Happy," 24 Apr. 2018
One of the central ideas of the field is that there’s no such thing as genuine morality, right or wrong; there is simply an ethical sense that has been bred into us by the imperatives of reproduction and survival.

— yonat shimron, Houston Chronicle, "Kenneth Miller finds good news in evolution," 22 Apr. 2018
The two imperatives often pull in opposite directions.

— The Economist, "Africa’s big carbon emitters admit they have a problem," 21 Apr. 2018

Origin and Etymology of imperative

borrowed from Late Latin imperātīvus, noun derivative of imperātīvus ¹imperative

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1530

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

imperative Synonyms

Synonyms

burden, charge, commitment, duty, incumbency, need, obligation, office, responsibility;

Near Antonyms

grace, postponement, stay;

discharge, ease, exemption, release, relief, waiver;

loophole;

alternative, choice, option, pick, preference, selection;

Related Words

oath, pledge, promise, vow, word;

arrangement, prearrangement, setup;

compact, contract, covenant, pact, trust;

debt, payment, tribute;

compulsion, constraint, restraint;

must, requirement;

coercion, duress, force;

appointment, engagement, reservation;

burden, onus;

IMPERATIVE Defined for English Language Learners

imperative

adjective

Definition of imperative for English Language Learners

: very important
grammar : having the form that expresses a command rather than a statement or a question
: expressing a command in a forceful and confident way

imperative

noun

Definition of imperative for English Language Learners

: a command, rule, duty, etc., that is very important or necessary
grammar the imperative : the form that a verb or sentence has when it is expressing a command
: an imperative verb or sentence