Definition of imperiousnext
1
2
3
4

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
  • The passage is incoherent, yet, in conflating progressive reform with arrogant blind faith, it is perfectly suited to Vance’s cynical conservatism.
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 19 June 2026
  • To no one’s surprise, Bonnie is immediately transfixed by her Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee, whose arrogant smarm effectively threads the needle between Maya Hawke’s Anxiety and Regina George’s everything else).
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 16 June 2026
Adjective
  • For at least a decade, federal agents followed guidelines designed to prevent arbitrary civil immigration arrests of people at courthouses.
    Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 24 June 2026
  • Some media outlets, however, reported that some of those detained were politicians or activists, leading to allegations of arbitrary detentions.
    ABC News, ABC News, 23 June 2026
Adjective
  • The cultural conversation happening here is nuanced and urgent and almost entirely invisible to the average visitor.
    Baz Dreisinger, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
  • The result is documentary filmmaking at its most urgent and compassionate.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 21 June 2026
Adjective
  • Satrapi shows us that under authoritarian rule, exile is experienced not only in leaving home, but in the slow erosion of the self from within.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 June 2026
  • Building the capacity of governments, especially authoritarian ones, to manage migration and contain refugees is not an inherent global good.
    Kelsey Norman, The Conversation, 18 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
  • Indeed, the King would later establish the Instrument of Foundation of the Royal Academy as a more autocratic counterpart.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
  • But there simply aren’t that many people who want an autocratic America.
    Matthew E.K. Hall, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Imperious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperious. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on imperious

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster