imposing

[ im-poh-zing ]

/ ɪmˈpoʊ zɪŋ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: imposing / imposingly on Thesaurus.com

adjective

very impressive because of great size, stately appearance, dignity, elegance, etc.: Notre Dame, Rheims, and other imposing cathedrals of France.

OTHER WORDS FOR imposing

dignified, majestic, lofty, grand, august.

See synonyms for imposing on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of imposing

First recorded in 1645–55; impose + -ing²

OTHER WORDS FROM imposing

im·pos·ing·ly, adverbim·pos·ing·ness, noun

Words nearby imposing

importune, importunity, impose, imposed, impose on, imposing, imposing stone, imposition, impossibility, impossible, impossible figure

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use imposing in a sentence

So he decided to draw a creature that is not only mammoth and imposing, but also unwaveringly destructive.
How cartoonists are skewering Facebook after the latest revelations|Michael Cavna|October 28, 2021|Washington Post
Fernandez needed 2 hours 21 minutes and all the tactics at her disposal for her three-set victory over Sabalenka, who boasts a more powerful game, more experience and a more imposing physique, nearly a half-foot taller.
Teens Leylah Fernandez, Emma Raducanu storm into U.S. Open final on grit and belief|Liz Clarke|September 10, 2021|Washington Post
Submission is set in a France seven years from now that is dominated by a Muslim president intent on imposing Islamic law.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He added, “We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship here in the United States.”
Exclusive: Sony Emails Reveal Studio Head Wants Idris Elba For the Next James Bond|William Boot|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Pyongyang has given the Obama administration no choice but to retaliate now by imposing sanctions or even an embargo.
U.S. Should Make North Korea Pay for Sony Hack|Gordon G. Chang|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The floor-to-ceiling Texas flag, the single most imposing feature of the room, began to rise.
In Texas, Cruz, Perry Crow Over GOP Rout|Tim Mak|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What he fails to realize is that he is imposing the same urban title on his family in retaliation.
‘black-ish’ Keeps It Real about the Invisible Black Man|Judnick Mayard|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was rather awed by his imposing appearance, and advanced timidly to the doors, which were of glass, and pulled the bell.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
In the center of the river line stood the imposing red sandstone palace of Bahadur Shah, last of the Moguls.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
The law went into operation in England imposing a tax on wearing hair powder.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
These brilliant results were arrived at after much clamour and argument and imposing procès verbal.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
The huge engine, the wonderful carriages, the imposing guard, the busy porters and the bustling station.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow

British Dictionary definitions for imposing

imposing

/ (ɪmˈpəʊzɪŋ) /

adjective

grand or impressivean imposing building

Derived forms of imposing

imposingly, adverbimposingness, 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

imposing

OTHER WORDS FOR imposing

Origin of imposing

OTHER WORDS FROM imposing

Words nearby imposing

Words related to imposing

How to use imposing in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for imposing

Derived forms of imposing