imperium

noun

im-ˈpir-ē-əm How to pronounce imperium (audio)
Definition of imperiumnext
as in dominion
controlling power or influence over others a nation whose economic imperium waned after the war

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 imperium Influenced by the revival of Roman law, the chancery of Frederick Barbarossa (German king and Holy Roman emperor from 1152 to 1190) adopted the term sacrum imperium as a counterblast to the universal claims of the church. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026 Everyone in the imperium knows the emperor is a nincompoop—and yet no one wants to go out on a limb to criticize him. — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025 The Islamic Republic of Iran is motivated by a desire to bring about the end times and usher in an everlasting Islamic imperium. — Mike Coté, National Review, 20 July 2025 Nintendo has built a reputation on its willingness to catch fans off-guard, and a shutterbug adventure was the last thing anyone expected at the zenith of Pokemon’s imperium. — Luke Winkie, Vulture, 18 June 2025 Poland, through a protest movement, led the liberation of Europe from the Soviet imperium, culminating with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. — Roger Cohen, New York Times, 5 May 2024 Even the Commonwealth—long a convenient way to sustain a more symbolic form of cultural imperium—has lost much of its meaning. — Fintan O’Toole, Foreign Affairs, 21 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperium
  1. dominion
  2. domination
  3. sovereignty
  4. dominance
  5. supremacy
Noun
  • The mandate was awarded to Great Britain but was to be exercised by South Africa (then a dominion within the British Empire).
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • More recently, the tiny Delica Mini has expanded the Delica's dominion, flashing some adventure and camping chops of its own.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of dominion
Noun
  • This was the Blond Ambition summer on the small screen — a wave of platinum domination entirely unrelated to the release of a new Madonna album.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
  • For the Muslim-majority regions that had once seen themselves as centers of learning and power, European domination over parts of Asia – including South Asia and Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East – was seen as humiliating.
    — Mimi Hanaoka, The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of domination
Noun
  • The pace is being driven by vast government demand, data sovereignty legislation that is keeping caches in-country, and hyperscalers increasingly looking to lease data center space rather than build in new markets.
    — Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In 2016, Brexiteers imagined that other European countries would follow their example and cheerily recover absolute sovereignty as liberated nation-states.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of sovereignty
Noun
  • For Arsenal, the game is an opportunity to underline that last season’s success was the beginning of a new period of dominance rather than a one-off achievement.
    — Dean Jones, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • But such a move is unlikely to succeed, given the dominance of Biya’s ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of dominance
Noun
  • The Atlanta Braves are surging in the NL East, emerging as a formidable challenger to the Dodgers for National League supremacy.
    — Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The department argued that several Connecticut laws conflict with the federal statute and thus are unconstitutional under the Constitution’s supremacy clause.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of supremacy

Browse Nearby Words

imperishable
imperium
imperiums
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Cite this Entry

“Imperium.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperium. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on imperium

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about imperium

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