1
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
an imperious little boy who liked to tell the other scouts what to do
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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
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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
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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
Jones portrays Rosie, Ozzie’s imperious and authoritative momager.
—
Denise Petski, Deadline, 8 May 2025
Or whether the foundations are strong and imperious enough to uphold the £1billion ($1.3bn) industry promise fans are being pitched?
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 13 May 2025
Johnson, an ultra-ambitious Texas Democrat but a junior House member of the House Naval Affairs Committee (which became the House Armed Services Committee after World War II), correctly surmised the panel’s imperious chairman, Georgia Democrat Carl Vinson, wasn’t going anywhere.
—David Mark, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
As the protagonist/antihero, audiences meet everyone through his eyes (and imperious narration) — and in his view, most people are shallow and irritating, especially the residents of Madre Linda.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for imperious
Denise Petski, Deadline, 8 May 2025
Or whether the foundations are strong and imperious enough to uphold the £1billion ($1.3bn) industry promise fans are being pitched?
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 13 May 2025
Johnson, an ultra-ambitious Texas Democrat but a junior House member of the House Naval Affairs Committee (which became the House Armed Services Committee after World War II), correctly surmised the panel’s imperious chairman, Georgia Democrat Carl Vinson, wasn’t going anywhere.
—David Mark, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
As the protagonist/antihero, audiences meet everyone through his eyes (and imperious narration) — and in his view, most people are shallow and irritating, especially the residents of Madre Linda.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for imperious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperious
Adjective
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Whether Trump's death quelled or accelerated authoritarian forces remains an open question.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 July 2025
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All of these factors and their contribution to alienation can foster authoritarian beliefs and individualism.—
Nathan Meyers,
The Conversation,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
As the day goes on, Jim goes from a caricature of an arrogant male director to an oddly compelling picture of a pathetic man, moved by spite toward his ex-wife, Anita.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 July 2025
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Actor Tyler Hilton played Chris Keller, a charming but arrogant musician, on four seasons of the teen soap.—
Bryan West,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
There are no longer arbitrary divisions in which people say that different functions aren’t their job or concern.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
Marylanders deserve a civil justice system that recognizes the full scope of human suffering and empowers citizen juries to render verdicts based on evidence rather than arbitrary limitations.—
Bruce M. Plaxen,
Baltimore Sun,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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What's new is the urgent need to respond to a fundamentally different business environment that's more interconnected than ever before.—
Tima Bansal,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
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Ra’s faith in cosmic travel put him at odds with other prominent African American figures of the period, who saw the space race as a distraction from the more urgent struggles of the civil rights era.—
Ekow Eshun
July 11,
Literary Hub,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
Louise Fletcher portrays the domineering head nurse Ratched.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
6 July 2025
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But Agnes can’t stop barking orders, leaving the household staff at a loss over who to listen to — their domineering former boss or the woman signing their paychecks.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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Since then, more than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to Reuters, and millions are suffering from acute malnutrition, starvation and illness.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
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Advertisement The challenge is particularly acute for first-generation students or those from lower-income households, who are much less likely to know about high-quality postsecondary options than those whose parents went to college.—
Maria Flynn,
Time,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.—
Steve Inskeep,
NPR,
14 July 2025
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There’s an authoritative front grille and bumper, and revised rear tail lights.—
Josh Max,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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The result is an end to the era of NGOs—a great loss for the people who have relied on these organizations’ services, and a boon to autocratic governments that have seen their advocacy as a threat.—
SARAH BUSH,
Foreign Affairs,
3 July 2025
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That changed in 1979 when Iran’s pro-American autocratic ruler, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, was overthrown and the regime known as the Islamic Republic, which still rules Iran today, was established.—
Zack Beauchamp,
Vox,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Imperious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperious. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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