imperative

noun

1

: something that is imperative (see imperative entry 1): such as

a

: command, order

A sheep dog emits imperatives to his flock hardly distinguishable from those that the shepherd employs toward him.

—Bertrand Russell

b

: rule, guide

legal imperatives

lived by certain simple imperatives

c

: an obligatory act or duty

Environmental consciousness is no longer just another lifestyle choice; … it has been upgraded to a moral imperative.

—Lisa Takeuchi Cullen

d

: necessity, need

Corporate competitive imperatives are the palpable force destroying care.

—Steffie Woolhandler et al.

e

: an obligatory judgment or proposition

2

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

Synonyms of imperative

• instruction
• order
• edict
• directive
• do
• direction
• injunction
• commandment

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 on the Web

But Pressure is less a war story, rapt with the hysteria of battlefield deeds, than an intense exposition on the human capacity to tolerate uncertainty at a time when decisiveness is an imperative for action. —Daniel Jonah Wolpert, NPR, 29 May 2026

Unfortunately, when new imperatives are issued absent of a strategy – a shared goal, clear communication, and team supports – implementation is fragmented and reinforces the functional siloes that already exist. —Shani Harmon, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

Combating antisemitism is a moral imperative — one rooted, for me, in personal history that makes indifference unthinkable. —Austin Turner, CBS News, 26 May 2026

If that happens, supporting those displaced will be a moral imperative of historic proportions. —Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 25 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing imperative

• categorical imperative
• the imperative

Rhymes for imperative

• comparative
• declarative
• preparative

Kids Definition

imperative

1 of 2 adjective

im·​per·​a·​tive im-ˈper-ət-iv 

1

a

: of, relating to, or being the grammatical mood that expresses a command, request, or encouragement

b

: expressing a command, request, or strong encouragement

an imperative sentence

2

: impossible to avoid or ignore : urgent

imperatively adverb

imperativeness noun

imperative

2 of 2 noun

1

: the imperative mood of a verb or a verb in this mood

2

: something that is imperative (as a command or required act)

Medical Definition

imperative

adjective

im·​per·​a·​tive im-ˈper-ət-iv 

: eliciting a motor response

an imperative stimulus