1
as in domineering
fond of ordering people around
an imperious little boy who liked to tell the other scouts what to do
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
an imperious movie star who thinks she's some sort of goddess
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in arbitrary
having or showing a tendency to force one's will on others without any regard to fairness or necessity
an office administrator with an imperious manner that really grates on people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in urgent
needing immediate attention
as war casualties mounted, the need for trained nurses became imperious
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Whether wasted out of her mind after Hedda Gabler (Tessa Thompson) coaxes Hoss’ imperious literature professor off the wagon, or a sobbing, heaving wreck of herself when the pages of her latest book go missing at a 1950s mansion party.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 30 Nov. 2025
And both institutions, like every other museum with any relationship to the federal government, have been in the stranglehold of imperious demands from the White House; do-as-we-say pressure from state governments is becoming increasingly common, too.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
Julian dispatches Ares and his deputy, Athena (an imperious Jodie Turner-Smith), to the physical world, ordering them to shake down Eve for information about Flynn’s code.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
The adolescent protagonist soon finds himself at the mercy of his imperious uncle, who puts his nephew out on the street for missing a midnight curfew, of which poor Karl was quite unaware.
—Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for imperious
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 30 Nov. 2025
And both institutions, like every other museum with any relationship to the federal government, have been in the stranglehold of imperious demands from the White House; do-as-we-say pressure from state governments is becoming increasingly common, too.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
Julian dispatches Ares and his deputy, Athena (an imperious Jodie Turner-Smith), to the physical world, ordering them to shake down Eve for information about Flynn’s code.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
The adolescent protagonist soon finds himself at the mercy of his imperious uncle, who puts his nephew out on the street for missing a midnight curfew, of which poor Karl was quite unaware.
—Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for imperious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperious
Adjective
-
Since determining whether someone is domineering is subjective and could vary based on different perspectives, that statement is unlikely to qualify as defamation.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Set in medieval England, Anne (Turner) is torn between her domineering live-in mother-in-law Morwen (Marcia Gay Harden) and a new love interest, Jago (Harington).—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In the early years of his fame as a writer, Rushdie had something of a reputation for being prickly and arrogant, but Gibney’s portrait reveals a man mellowed by time and experience.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Spock is this brilliant, arrogant, aloof-to-the-point-of-obnoxiousness genius.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
18 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The memorandum filed Monday argues the court should not adopt the deferential standard of arbitrary or capricious.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The judge also said the administration’s decision had been arbitrary and capricious, given its failure to consider Vineyard Wind’s interest in having the project continue on its schedule to a March completion.—
Mark Chediak,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
And there is another urgent area requiring our attention.—
Sacramento Bee staff,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The administration’s enthusiasm to improve America’s health has real, urgent promise.—
Jerome Adams,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Bin Salman, known informally as MBS, is Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler and has been criticized for having a similar authoritarian leadership style.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Yesterday, more than 50,000 Minneapolis residents joined a peaceful general strike against this authoritarian overreach.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The 48-bed hospital in Brea and 109-bed hospital in Westminster treat patients for longer stays, typically after they are discharged from acute-care hospitals.—
Pat Maio,
Oc Register,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Hal, in his academic brilliance, tennis talent, and acute anxiety, is the character who most resembles his creator.—
Hermione Hoby,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Washington delivers the dialogue with a thrilling range from purrs to roars, all imbued with an authoritative swagger.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The report comes from the authoritative WhatsApp watcher, WABetaInfo, which cautions that the new features are not quite live yet, but are on the way.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Iran's autocratic regime has quashed several previous waves of unrest, violently, and the source in Tehran told CBS News there was significant fear among many people that the current protests would draw a similar draconian crackdown.—
Tucker Reals,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Javier Corrales, an expert on Venezuelan politics, tells Isaac Chotiner about the autocratic methods that Maduro used to maintain power, and what might happen to the regime in his absence.—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imperious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperious. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
