Showing results for "imposed"

• past participle of impose.
• past tense form of impose.

imposed

American  

[im-pohzd] / ɪmˈpoʊzd /

adjective

1. laid on by someone, especially an authority, as something to be endured, obeyed, paid, etc..

   Offenders receive swiftly imposed but meaningful community service assignments, which the court monitors daily for compliance.

2. thrust or forced upon someone else, as one’s tastes, ideas, company, etc..

   I pray for my children to grow confidently into who they have been created to be, free from the pressure of imposed reputation and expectation.

3. created or established forcibly or artificially rather than developing naturally.

   All living systems organize and reorganize themselves into adaptive patterns and structures without any externally imposed plan or direction.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of impose.

Other Word Forms

• subimposed
  adjective
• unimposed
  adjective
• well-imposed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of imposed

impose ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Something that is imposed is usually unwelcome and unpleasant and is expected to be endured — like higher taxes or unwelcome guests. The adjective imposed comes from the Latin imponere, "to place upon, to inflict or deceive." An imposed tax is one placed upon you by law. The English word comes by way of the Middle French verb imposer, meaning "to lay a burden." So if you are imposed upon by an unwanted guest, you'll have to endure an imposed visit.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

imposed

Still, she imposed what Norman Podhoretz called an “inordinate demand”: that Jews under Hitler be braver and nobler than ordinary people could be expected to be when murderers held all the power.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Fines are already being imposed on organisations found to be in breach of immigration laws, with one council fined £45,000 for employing one illegal worker in June.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

Pleasure is never quite sufficient justification for cooking something yourself; the viewer must also understand that the old version was artificial, addictive or imposed upon them by a corrupt system.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

Clashes between police and protesters outside the facility in May led to a curfew being imposed around it by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democrat.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

I agreed to represent Trina, Ian, and Antonio, and our office would eventually make challenging death-in prison sentences imposed on children a major focus of our work.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• prescribed
• required
• sanctioned