imperious
Americanadjective
-
domineering in a haughty manner; dictatorial; overbearing: an imperious person.
an imperious manner;
an imperious person.
- Synonyms:
- arrogant, despotic, tyrannical
- Antonyms:
- submissive
-
imperious need.
- Synonyms:
- necessary
- Antonyms:
- unnecessary
adjective
-
domineering; arrogant; overbearing
-
rare urgent; imperative
Other Word Forms
- imperiously adverb
- imperiousness noun
- nonimperious adjective
- nonimperiousness noun
- unimperious adjective
Etymology
Origin of imperious
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin imperiōsus “commanding, tyrannical,” equivalent to imperi(um) imperium + -ōsus -ous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Scots landed seven scores and a half century of points against the previously imperious but now seriously beleaguered French.
From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026
He was in imperious form all season, winning 25 races, including sprints.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
But satisfaction isn’t in the cards for this general’s daughter, famed for her beauty and imperious style.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026
And so the imperious patriarch, Whitelaw Redfellow—played by a shadowy, barely seen figure who is only toward the end revealed to be Ed Harris—casts her out of the family estate.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
He turned slowly to look at her with an air of imperious annoyance.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
