Definition of imperiousnext
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Synonym Chooser

How is the word imperious distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of imperious are domineering, imperative, masterful, and peremptory. While all these words mean "tending to impose one's will on others," imperious implies a commanding nature or manner and often suggests arrogant assurance.

an imperious executive used to getting his own way

When would domineering be a good substitute for imperious?

The synonyms domineering and imperious are sometimes interchangeable, but domineering suggests an overbearing or arbitrary manner and an obstinate determination to enforce one's will.

children controlled by domineering parents

When could imperative be used to replace imperious?

While the synonyms imperative and imperious are close in meaning, imperative implies peremptoriness arising more from the urgency of the situation than from an inherent will to dominate.

an imperative appeal for assistance

In what contexts can masterful take the place of imperious?

The words masterful and imperious can be used in similar contexts, but masterful implies a strong personality and ability to act authoritatively.

her masterful personality soon dominated the movement

When is it sensible to use peremptory instead of imperious?

The words peremptory and imperious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, peremptory implies an abrupt dictatorial manner coupled with an unwillingness to brook disobedience or dissent.

given a peremptory dismissal

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of imperious The imperious billionaires were. Michael Silver, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026 Bundelkhand is represented by Maans ke Dahi Bade, a lamb-and-lentil recipe improvised by Maharaja Digvijaya Singh of Sailana, while Panna finds its spot through the imperious-sounding Aash-e-Sangsheer. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026 Thus André Breton—the imperious leader of the French Surrealist group with which Alberto Giacometti had made common cause in the late 1920s—chided the artist for his return to sculpting human likenesses after 1935. Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 2026 As Rose’s impoverished yet imperious mother Ruth, Parson’s dry deliveries offer great comic ballast to this ship of fools. Frank Rizzo, Variety, 13 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for imperious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperious
Adjective
  • Musk’s company has inked lucrative AI deals with Anthropic and Google and plans to be the domineering firm behind orbital data centers, which SpaceX has said could be deployed as early as 2028.
    Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
  • Many figures within evangelicalism have promoted an aggressive, domineering, even abusive view of manhood—affixing to it, as Du Mez argues, the label biblical.
    Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
Adjective
  • West Germany, arrogant attitude adjusted, pounded Chile, 4-1.
    David j. Neal, Miami Herald, 24 June 2026
  • Lasso, in his initial introduction to audiences, wasn’t the warm, pun-loving, inspirational coach audiences would eventually embrace through Apple +, but a slightly arrogant buffoon parodying the average American sports fan.
    Charles Moss, New York Times, 24 June 2026
Adjective
  • Hundreds of people have been detained and Serbia's police was accused of excessive force and arbitrary arrests.
    ABC News, ABC News, 27 June 2026
  • Hundreds of people have been detained and Serbia’s police was accused of excessive force and arbitrary arrests.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2026
Adjective
  • Jett is nonverbal and has a mental health condition, police said, making the search especially urgent.
    CBS News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 29 June 2026
  • Last month, many of those companies gathered alongside military officials to address what was clearly an urgent problem requiring novel solutions.
    Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 28 June 2026
Adjective
  • China is, of course, an authoritarian state which has been criticized for maintaining a mass-surveillance system, while Brazil regained democracy in 1985 after two decades of military dictatorship.
    Harry Booth, Time, 26 June 2026
  • Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt’s 2018 book, How Democracies Die, argues that the most decisive figures in the success or failure of an authoritarian attempt are the would-be authoritarian’s ideological allies.
    Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 26 June 2026
Adjective
  • Doctors suspected acute leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer that can develop and progress in a matter of weeks.
    Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026
  • Combining Football Password Data The problem of using football information in passwords is even more acute when combined with other data.
    Barry Collins, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
Adjective
  • Plot synopsis House of the Dragon attempts to condense and dramatize the conflicting accounts presented in Fire & Blood—stitched together from testimonies and court chronicles—into a single authoritative narrative.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 June 2026
  • They can be resolved through the application of authoritative expertise and through the organization’s current structures, procedures, and ways of doing things.
    Gerald J. Leonard, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Adjective
  • University students behind more than a year of protests against Vucic's increasingly autocratic rule in Serbia have been demanding early parliamentary elections for over a year but Vucic so far has refrained from setting the date.
    ABC News, ABC News, 27 June 2026
  • University students behind more than a year of protests against Vucic’s increasingly autocratic rule in Serbia have been demanding early parliamentary elections for over a year, but Vucic so far has refrained from setting the date.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Imperious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperious. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.

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