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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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 peremptory
Plenty of agency officials were already put off by the DOGErs, who often issued peremptory orders to meet with them and answer questions.
—
Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
The genius of the people will ill brook the inquisitive and peremptory spirit of excise laws.
—Marie Sapirie, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
The administration’s radical and peremptory elimination of U.S. foreign assistance removed a lever of American influence and telegraphed a level of indifference that will not go unnoticed.
—Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Because of that, the prosecutor might exercise a peremptory strike.
—The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for peremptory
Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
The genius of the people will ill brook the inquisitive and peremptory spirit of excise laws.
—Marie Sapirie, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
The administration’s radical and peremptory elimination of U.S. foreign assistance removed a lever of American influence and telegraphed a level of indifference that will not go unnoticed.
—Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Because of that, the prosecutor might exercise a peremptory strike.
—The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for peremptory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peremptory
Adjective
-
The death of Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei stunned Iranians, many of whom had never known anything but his authoritarian leadership.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
-
Our research suggests that activists seeking to protect American democracy from authoritarian influences are pursuing a failing strategy.—
Scott Warren,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
Brazil, facing mounting economic pressure from the United States, is fast-tracking a decade-old legislative proposal to block imports of goods made with forced, compulsory or child labor.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
16 June 2026
-
At a moment when national unity was viewed as essential to the war effort, the government argued that compulsory flag salutes promoted patriotism and social cohesion.—
Joseph Andrew,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
The two roles underline the actor’s formidable versatility, all skittish panic in the former and arrogant sociopathy in the other.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
13 June 2026
-
Washington State’s beauty is almost arrogant in its expansiveness.—
C Pam Zhang,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
The anniversary feels arbitrary to Tran, a math teacher.—
Terry Tang,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
-
And not simply the tariff policies, but the arbitrary on and off nature of them.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
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
-
Now, the one-year grace period for the act’s mandatory registration requirements has ended, meaning agencies must be registered as model management companies or groups with the New York Department of Labor (NYDL) to better enable models to discern legitimate representation.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
19 June 2026
-
Seattle's offseason program is over following the conclusion of mandatory minicamp on June 11.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
Musk projects that SpaceX will expand its network ten-fold to 100,000 digital birds in the years ahead, and that his superior capacity and extremely low cost ensure by far the dominant position for years to come.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
13 June 2026
-
While Folarin Balogun got the striker nod in the final tune-up against Germany, Ricardo Pepi might be the better option against Paraguay given his superior ability to drop deep and link-up play.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
That means authoritative profiles, press features in credible outlets, optimized social channels, Wikipedia presence where warranted, video, and review acquisition on the platforms that actually matter for the client's industry.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
-
First filmed before the pandemic and launched in its throes, a survivor of the era of streaming wars, corporate consolidation and Hollywood strikes, HBO’s addictively dissolute workplace drama remains as ambitious and authoritative as ever.—
Matt Brennan,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Peremptory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peremptory. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
