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
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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
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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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of peremptory
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
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
Because of that, the prosecutor might exercise a peremptory strike.
—The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for peremptory
Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
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
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
-
Organizers and protesters fear America is on a path toward authoritarian rule.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The President has, in ICE, a quasi-authoritarian force at his disposal.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But the trial judge, not the jury, will rule on any compulsory changes for Meta at the trial’s second stage in May.—
Peter Weber,
TheWeek,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Fittingly, the summit’s resemblance to summer camp fostered a mood of compulsory cheer.—
Gaby Del Valle,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The rabbi is ornery, arrogant, sometimes cruel.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
What’s to blame for all these arbitrary governing principles?—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Black folks have seen the face of the US’s prerogative state—the side of the government that dispenses arbitrary jurisprudence, discriminatory law enforcement, and violence against those who challenge its authority and dominant ideologies.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Netflix’s domineering presence, one that permeated every corner of a typically sacred day at the ballpark, had mercifully evaporated.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Wrapping production last October, Carrie is described as a reimagining of the story of misfit high schooler Carrie White, who has spent her life in seclusion with her domineering mother.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Before going on hiatus in 2022 so that the group’s seven members could complete their mandatory military service, BTS was unequivocally the biggest band in the world.—
Mitch Therieau,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are mandatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics.—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda,
AZCentral.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
According to inside sources, Prince William wishes to establish a meaningful relationship with Mullally, knowing that the Archbishop will also preside over his future coronation and will, in fact, be his superior in the Church.—
Stefania Conrieri,
Vanity Fair,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Bolstered by a vastly superior air force and hard-to-overwhelm missile defenses, Israel is more than a match for its enemies, even Iran, and will remain so for a decade or more.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Francis ordered the Argentine criteria published as an official act of the Vatican and wrote a letter to the bishops declaring their interpretation authoritative.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
-
With an authoritative and rich baritone voice, Orion Samuelson delivered critical information for farmers across the Midwest during a 60-year career as WGN-AM radio’s agribusiness reporter.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Peremptory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peremptory. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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