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 in Listen! 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
Words Nearby imperative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use imperative in a sentence
Therefore, having the most comprehensive view of the search landscape and all its nuances is imperative to driving success and making the most informed decisions possible.
Solving the agency search intelligence gap | Ian O’Rourke and Stephen Davis | February 9, 2021 | Search Engine WatchReimagining community safety, defunding police, confronting the worst of what “law enforcement” does — these are not new moral imperatives.
I love how they’re portrayed in the Locked Tomb and how imperative they are to the narrative.
How Gideon the Ninth author Tamsyn Muir queers the space opera | Constance Grady | February 5, 2021 | VoxIt is imperative that the previous Administration’s shortcomings are swiftly identified and rectified to save lives in the months before coronavirus vaccinations are available for all Americans.
House Democrats Launch Investigation of OSHA, Meat Plants Over COVID-19 Outbreaks | Abigail Abrams | February 2, 2021 | TimeThere are many roots of distrust around Covid-19 vaccines, but it feels imperative to put them in the context of Pakistan’s recent history.
How the CIA’s fake vaccine program in Pakistan helped fuel the anti-vax movement | Hala Iqbal | February 1, 2021 | Vox
Moreover, for America there is a fundamental imperative to act.
U.S. Should Make North Korea Pay for Sony Hack | Gordon G. Chang | December 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFor Reid, the imperative has to be confirming as many of the 34 district court nominees that are in the pipeline as possible.
What If the United States Had No Attorney General? | Eleanor Clift | November 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd that very same Roosevelt no doubt still believed it was imperative for us to make America “fairly radical for a generation.”
Many lessons and commentaries are in the imperative voice, but not all.
Mike Leach Tackles Geronimo the Motivational Murderer | James A. Warren | August 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNone of it has lessened my belief in Zionism or the imperative of Israel as a home and sanctuary for Jews.
Her glance wandered from his face away toward the Gulf, whose sonorous murmur reached her like a loving but imperative entreaty.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinNature, ever buoyant and imperative, does her best to remedy the ills created by "Man's inhumanity to Man."
Glances at Europe | Horace GreeleyFor it was mother Martha and not her daughter who had obeyed Mrs. Cecil's imperative: "Come here!"
Dorothy at Skyrie | Evelyn RaymondLet nothing, but the most imperative duty, call you out upon your reception day.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence HartleyOnly an hour was given to St. Albans, much less than we had planned, but our late start made it imperative that we move onward.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car | Thomas D. Murphy
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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