1
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
the governor's peremptory personal assistant began telling the crowd of reporters and photographers exactly where they had to stand
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in compulsory
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law
a peremptory summons to appear before the committee
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
she had such a peremptory approach to running the club that people started to avoid her
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in arbitrary
having or showing a tendency to force one's will on others without any regard to fairness or necessity
a peremptory insistence that the staff wait on them first
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of peremptory
The lawyers accused prosecutors of using seven of their nine peremptory strikes to remove Black jurors from the prospective panel before the final jury was selected.
—
Rolling Stone, 16 June 2025
The defense challenged some of the government’s peremptory strikes over suggestions of racial bias.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 13 May 2025
The selection process included the use of peremptory strikes by both the prosecution and defense, allowing each side to dismiss certain jurors without giving a reason.
—Amanda Castro
joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
Friday was the day that attorneys for the prosecution and defense would further question the 43 men and women from the jury pool, whittling that group down to 12 jurors and six alternates by exercising their peremptory strikes.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for peremptory
Rolling Stone, 16 June 2025
The defense challenged some of the government’s peremptory strikes over suggestions of racial bias.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 13 May 2025
The selection process included the use of peremptory strikes by both the prosecution and defense, allowing each side to dismiss certain jurors without giving a reason.
—Amanda Castro
joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
Friday was the day that attorneys for the prosecution and defense would further question the 43 men and women from the jury pool, whittling that group down to 12 jurors and six alternates by exercising their peremptory strikes.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for peremptory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peremptory
Adjective
-
Even the Committee to Protect Journalists, an organization that monitors and honors reporters imprisoned by authoritarian government regimes overseas, felt compelled to weigh in on Lemon’s arrest.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
These changes have been caricatured as authoritarian and corrupt.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In 2014, Alinejad founded the My Stealthy Freedom/White Wednesday campaign against compulsory hijab, which is the largest civil disobedience campaign in the history of the Islamic Republic.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Most courses lasted four to six years, with compulsory Russian language instruction for the first two, and a significant amount of Marxist dialectics throughout.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 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
-
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
-
During a federal government shuts down, beneficiaries of Social Security can expect their payments on time because those payments are considered mandatory spending, including Medicare and Medicaid.—
Mike Snider,
Freep.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Is calling mandatory or optional?—
Cori Sears,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Ideal for winter travel, the set is made from soft, thick fabric that traps heat and offers superior comfort.—
Emily Weaver,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Having been framed, yours also is in superior condition.—
Paula Allen,
San Antonio Express-News,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s a casual, authoritative swing to their performance that belies the stylistic range on the record; the songs touch upon different traditions, yet all sound of a piece.—
Stephen Thomas Erlewine,
Pitchfork,
26 Jan. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Peremptory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peremptory. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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