imperative
absolutely necessary or required; unavoidable: It is imperative that we leave.
of the nature of or expressing a command; commanding.
Grammar. noting or pertaining to the mood of the verb used in commands, requests, etc., as inListen! Go!: Compare indicative (def. 2), subjunctive (def. 1).
a command.
something that demands attention or action; an unavoidable obligation or requirement; necessity: It is an imperative that we help defend friendly nations.
Grammar.
the imperative mood.
a verb in this mood.
an obligatory statement, principle, or the like.
Origin of imperative
1Other words for imperative
Other words from imperative
- im·per·a·tive·ly, adverb
- im·per·a·tive·ness, noun
- non·im·per·a·tive, adjective
- non·im·per·a·tive·ly, adverb
- non·im·per·a·tive·ness, noun
- un·im·per·a·tive, adjective
- un·im·per·a·tive·ly, adverb
Words that may be confused with imperative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use imperative in a sentence
But Hezbollah has more pressing strategic imperatives today, and Nasrallah is not known as an impulsive leader.
There are also funding and logistical imperatives for ISIS to pursue the proto-state strategy.
Iraq’s Terrorists Are Becoming a Full-Blown Army | Eli Lake, Jamie Dettmer, Nadette De Visser | June 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEven matters of life and death are sometimes asked to yield to the rigid imperatives of a clear rule.
The auteurs of the world are no longer given free rein and are now beholden to certain financial imperatives.
Alec Baldwin Uncensored: On His HBO Doc, Bloomberg, Polanski, and The New York Times | Marlow Stern | October 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd sadly, the twin imperatives of protecting Jews, and supporting rights and dignity for all people, can sometimes collide.
AIPAC’s Moral Myopia: Israel Wants Egypt’s Military to Stay in Power | Peter Beinart | August 19, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
We affect a tremendous and cultivated shyness and delicacy about imperatives of the most arbitrary appearance.
The New Machiavelli | Herbert George WellsThe child never put this particular record into his list of imperatives, but he was reconciled to it.
The Boy Grew Older | Heywood BrounThis word therefore is the blending or corruption of bot and beut, the Imperatives of two Saxon verbs, botan and beutan.
Dissertation on the English Language | Noah Webster, Jr.Would those whom such conclusions repelled be content to oppose to nature's imperatives only the protests of the heart?
Evolution in Modern Thought | Ernst HaeckelI refer to the high and passionate imperatives of the heroic, desperate, treasonable heart of man.
The Complex Vision | John Cowper Powys
British Dictionary definitions for imperative
/ (ɪmˈpɛrətɪv) /
extremely urgent or important; essential
peremptory or authoritative: an imperative tone of voice
Also: imperatival (ɪmˌpɛrəˈtaɪvəl) grammar denoting a mood of verbs used in giving orders, making requests, etc. In English the verb root without any inflections is the usual form, as for example leave in Leave me alone
something that is urgent or essential
an order or command
grammar
the imperative mood
a verb in this mood
Origin of imperative
1Derived forms of imperative
- imperatively, adverb
- imperativeness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for imperative
A grammatical category describing verbs that command or request: “Leave town by tonight”; “Please hand me the spoon.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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