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Meaning of IMPERIOUS

Pronunciation:  im'peereeus

WordNet Dictionary
 
 Definition: [adj]  able to deal authoritatively with affairs; "dismissed the matter with an imperious wave of her hand"
 
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 Synonyms: domineering, masterful
 

 

 

Webster's 1913 Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
\Im*pe"ri*ous\, a. [L. imperiosus: cf. F.
imp['e]rieux. See {Imperial}.]
1. Commanding; ascendant; imperial; lordly; majestic. [Obs.]
   ``A vast and imperious mind.'' --Tilloison.
         Therefore, great lords, be, as your titles witness,
         Imperious.                            --Shak.
2. Haughly; arrogant; overbearing; as, an imperious tyrant;
   an imperious manner.
         This imperious man will work us all From princes
         into pages.                           --Shak.
         His bold, contemptuous, and imperious spirit soon
         made him conspicuous.                 --Macaulay.
3. Imperative; urgent; compelling.
         Imperious need, which can not be withstood.
                                               --Dryden.
Syn: Dictatorial; haughty; domineering; overbearing; lordly;
     tyrannical; despotic; arrogant; imperative;
     authoritative; commanding; pressing.
Usage: {Imperious}, {Lordly}, {Domineering}. One who is
       imperious exercises his authority in a manner highly
       offensive for its spirit and tone; one who is lordly
       assumes a lofty air in order to display his
       importance; one who is domineering gives orders in a
       way to make other feel their inferiority.
 
Thesaurus Terms
 
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