1
as in domineering
fond of ordering people around
an imperious little boy who liked to tell the other scouts what to do
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
an imperious movie star who thinks she's some sort of goddess
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in arbitrary
having or showing a tendency to force one's will on others without any regard to fairness or necessity
an office administrator with an imperious manner that really grates on people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in urgent
needing immediate attention
as war casualties mounted, the need for trained nurses became imperious
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of imperious
Howe’s imperious record with Newcastle in this competition has also been punctured.
—
Chris Waugh, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
It's been over a decade since the world last caught sight of Jan Levinson, the frosty, imperious, yet hilarious sales executive played by Melora Hardin on The Office.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Dec. 2025
Whether wasted out of her mind after Hedda Gabler (Tessa Thompson) coaxes Hoss’ imperious literature professor off the wagon, or a sobbing, heaving wreck of herself when the pages of her latest book go missing at a 1950s mansion party.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 30 Nov. 2025
And both institutions, like every other museum with any relationship to the federal government, have been in the stranglehold of imperious demands from the White House; do-as-we-say pressure from state governments is becoming increasingly common, too.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for imperious
Chris Waugh, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
It's been over a decade since the world last caught sight of Jan Levinson, the frosty, imperious, yet hilarious sales executive played by Melora Hardin on The Office.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Dec. 2025
Whether wasted out of her mind after Hedda Gabler (Tessa Thompson) coaxes Hoss’ imperious literature professor off the wagon, or a sobbing, heaving wreck of herself when the pages of her latest book go missing at a 1950s mansion party.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 30 Nov. 2025
And both institutions, like every other museum with any relationship to the federal government, have been in the stranglehold of imperious demands from the White House; do-as-we-say pressure from state governments is becoming increasingly common, too.
—Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for imperious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperious
Adjective
-
Even though Kenneth was the one to shoot Sheridan, both the jury and the judge accepted the prosecution's argument that Ronald was the domineering brother and had planned and directed the killing.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
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In the movie, set in medieval England, Anne (Turner) and her domineering mother-in-law, Morwen (Gay Harden), struggle to survive on the outskirts of society.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
He is paired with an arrogant young partner (Lou), a second-generation political scion whose personality clashes sharply with his own.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
-
In the early years of his fame as a writer, Rushdie had something of a reputation for being prickly and arrogant, but Gibney’s portrait reveals a man mellowed by time and experience.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Judges could reason the NCAA interpreting rules to allow pros from some leagues, but not others, is hypocritical and arbitrary.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Venezuela’s opposition and human rights groups have long accused the country’s authoritarian regime of using arbitrary arrests to suppress dissent.—
Diego Mendoza,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Griffiths and Smith meet on Zoom, spending the first 15 to 20 minutes talking through current challenges, followed by a 30- to 40-minute hypnotherapy session to specifically target her urgent issues.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The family's latest message as the urgent search for Nancy Guthrie enters its eighth day.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Rezwan Shahriar Sumit’s Master, tracing the rise of a teacher drawn into local politics in Bangladesh and moving from idealism to authoritarian impulses, won the Big Screen Competition.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Feb. 2026
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What is unique in this moment is how aggressively one political party is leveraging this and the ends to which it is being used, which is to overthrow democracy and to install an authoritarian regime.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The death certificate listed Fisher’s cause of death as septic shock, a bacterial infection, acute kidney failure and pneumonia.—
Theresa Clift,
Sacbee.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Though the consequences of the cold have been widespread and acute—travel disruptions, power outages and scores of deaths—the warm western winter will also take a toll.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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My thinking ultimately derived from my response to Slate and NPR’s new Black film canon project, which was an authoritative list of 50 films.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Duah’s authoritative finish in the 68th minute stood as the largest goal of the two matches.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Elections become charades in a lot of autocratic countries.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
-
For those unfamiliar with him, Piëch was an eccentric and autocratic engineering mastermind responsible for the original Audi Quattro and the modern VW Beetle.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imperious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperious. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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