imperative

American  

[im-per-uh-tiv] / ɪmˈpɛr ə tɪv /

adjective

1. absolutely necessary or required; unavoidable.

   It is imperative that we leave.

   Synonyms:

   compelling, exigent, essential, indispensable, inescapable

2. of the nature of or expressing a command; commanding.

3. Grammar. noting or pertaining to the mood of the verb used in commands, requests, etc., as in Listen! Go!

---

noun

• imperatives
  plural

1. a command.

2. something that demands attention or action; an unavoidable obligation or requirement; necessity.

   It is an imperative that we help defend friendly nations.

3. Grammar.

   1. the imperative mood.

   2. a verb in this mood.

4. an obligatory statement, principle, or the like.

imperative British  

/ ɪmˈpɛrətɪv /

adjective

1. extremely urgent or important; essential

2. peremptory or authoritative

   an imperative tone of voice

3. Also: imperatival.  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

---

noun

1. something that is urgent or essential

2. an order or command

3. grammar

   1. the imperative mood

   2. a verb in this mood

imperative Cultural  

1. A grammatical category describing verbs that command or request: “Leave town by tonight”; “Please hand me the spoon.”

---

Usage

What is an imperative sentence? An imperative sentence is a sentence used to give commands or instructions or make requests, as in Give me that. It usually begins with a verb or a verb phrase. Imperative sentences often don’t have an apparent subject. Instead the subject is implied, usually the person who the speaker is giving the commands or instructions to. It is possible to include subjects in imperative sentences by addressing the person separately, as in Joe, hand me that wrench. While imperative sentences often start with verbs, they can also begin with adverbs, as in Carefully move the sofa, or prepositional phrases, as in Without opening your eyes, count to ten.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• imperativeness
  noun
• nonimperativeness
  noun
• nonimperative
  adjective
• unimperative
  adjective
• imperatively
  adverb
• nonimperatively
  adverb
• unimperatively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• imperatives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of imperative

First recorded in 1520–30; from Late Latin imperātivus, equivalent to Latin imperāt(us) “imposed,” past participle of imperāre “to impose, order, command” ( im- im- ¹ + -perāre, combining form of parāre “to set, get ready, produce, obtain”; see prepare) + -īvus -ive

Explanation

When something absolutely has to be done and cannot be put off, use the adjective imperative. Imperative is from Latin imperare, "to command," and its original use was for a verb form expressing a command: "Do it!" is an imperative sentence. The word is still used that way, but it's more commonly applied to something so pressing it cannot be put off: "It's imperative that we hire more workers if we want to complete the job on time." Imperative has more immediate force than pressing but less than urgent.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

imperative imperatives

Instrumental convergence is the stuff on which nightmares are built, although I remain skeptical simply because of the overwhelming imperative of governments to protect their own prerogatives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

It is therefore imperative to better understand the impact of "Atlantification" of East Greenland waters, but the remote, harsh environment has made it costly and difficult for researchers to reach the area.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Air France said that the health of its staff was "an absolute imperative"

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

The midfield lacked power and ball-winning ability in 2024-25, and it is imperative that new arrivals Florentino Luis and Sasa Lukic – both experienced at the highest level – hit the ground running.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

The first restored the imperative that the University of California take Lawrence’s demands seriously.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

They’re losing out on great candidates, visionary leaders and businesses, to say nothing of the moral imperatives of equal access and opportunity.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026

World Athletics said allowing the athletes to transfer their nationality "would impinge upon and compromise the imperatives underlying the World Athletics eligibility rules and transfer of allegiance regulations".

From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026

Meta Platforms for years veered between competitive imperatives like copying TikTok with a product called Reels to expensive long-term projects like starting a virtual-reality world dubbed the metaverse, which it is now scaling back.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025

And while this was all happening, there were all these other archetypal imperatives getting at me, like what about dancing?

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2025

The three-minute convention persists thanks in no small part to attention spans and radio playlist imperatives.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• compulsory
• critical
• crucial
• essential
• immediate
• important
• indispensable
• inescapable
• obligatory
• pressing
• urgent
• vital