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Received-Pronunciation:
/ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/
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Southern-England:
Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Canada, General-American:
/ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/
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Canada, General-American:
[ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.ɾɪv]
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Texas:
Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Australian:
/ɪmˈpeɹ.ə.tɪv/
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Australian:
[ɪmˈpeɹ.ə.ɾɪv]
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CMU ARPABET:
IH2 M P EH1 R AH0 T IH0 V
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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Essential; crucial; extremely important.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
That you come here right now is imperative.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Of, or relating to the imperative mood.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: mandative
Having semantics that incorporates mutable variables.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: computing, computing-theory, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: functional
Expressing a command; authoritatively or absolutely directive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
The grammatical mood expressing an order (see jussive). In English, the imperative form of a verb is the same as that of the bare infinitive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
Examples
The verbs in sentences like "Do it!" and "Say what you like!" are in the imperative.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: imperative mood
Antonyms: none provided
A verb in the imperative mood.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
An essential action, a must: something which is imperative.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Examples
Visiting Berlin is an imperative.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
requiring attention or action
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
as nuclear weapons proliferate, preventing war becomes imperative requests that grew more and more imperative
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: beseeching
relating to verbs in the imperative mood
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
some duty that is essential and urgent
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: duty, responsibility, obligation
a mood that expresses an intention to influence the listener's behavior
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: imperative mood, jussive mood, imperative form
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: mood, mode, modality
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *perh3- Proto-Indo-European *pr̥h3o- Proto-Italic *paro- Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Proto-Italic *parāō Latin parō Latin imperō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin īvus Latin imperātīvusbor. English imperative Borrowed from Latin imperātīvus.
Across languages
Translations
96 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic :
أَسَاسِيّ
(ʔasāsiyy)
— essential
Arabic :
ضَرُورِيّ
(ḍarūriyy)
— essential
Bengali :
জরুরি
(joruri)
— essential
Bengali :
অত্যন্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ
(ottonto guruttopurno)
— essential
Catalan :
imperatiu
— essential
Chinese Mandarin :
迫切的
(pòqiè de)
— essential
Chinese Mandarin :
必須的 /必须的
(bìxū de)
— essential
Chinese Mandarin :
至關重要的 /至关重要的
(zhìguānzhòngyào de)
— essential
Czech :
rozkazovací
— essential
Czech :
nutný
— essential
Dutch :
noodzakelijk
— essential
Esperanto :
imperativa
— essential
Finnish :
välttämätön
— essential
Finnish :
pakollinen
— essential
French :
impératif
— essential
French :
essentiel
— essential
French :
indispensable
— essential
German :
essenziell
— essential
German :
essentiell
— essential
German :
notwendig
— essential
German :
unverzichtbar
— essential
German :
wesentlich
— essential
Greek :
επιτακτικός
(epitaktikós)
— essential
Hungarian :
okvetlenül/rendkívül/különösen/égetően fontos
— essential
Icelandic :
mikilvægur
— essential
Italian :
imperativo
— essential
Italian :
necessario
— essential
Italian :
necessaria
— essential
Korean :
긴요한
(ginyohan)
— essential
Korean :
반드 필요한
(bandeu piryohan)
— essential
Latin :
necessus
— essential
Latin :
necessum
— essential
Plautdietsch :
drinjent
— essential
Polish :
arcyważny
— essential
Portuguese :
essencial
— essential
Portuguese :
imperativo
— essential
Russian :
обяза́тельный
(objazátelʹnyj)
— essential
Scottish Gaelic :
àithneach
— essential
Spanish :
imperativo
— essential
Turkish :
mecburi
— essential
Turkish :
zorunlu
— essential
Azerbaijani :
əmr şəkli
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Belarusian :
зага́дны
(zahádny)
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Bulgarian :
повели́телен
(povelítelen)
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Catalan :
imperatiu
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Chinese Mandarin :
祈使的
(qíshǐ de)
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Czech :
rozkazovací
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Finnish :
imperatiivinen
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
French :
impératif
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Hungarian :
felszólító
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Hungarian :
parancsoló
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Italian :
imperativo
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Kabyle :
anaḍ
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Macedonian :
заповеден
(zapoveden)
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Persian :
دستوری
(dasturi)
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Polish :
rozkazujący
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Portuguese :
imperativo
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Russian :
повели́тельный
(povelítelʹnyj)
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Slovak :
rozkazovací
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Spanish :
imperativo
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Swedish :
imperativ
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Tagalog :
pautos
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Turkish :
emir kipi
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Ukrainian :
наказо́вий
(nakazóvyj)
— grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood
Finnish :
imperatiivinen
— computing: having semantics that incorporates mutable variables
Russian :
императи́вный
(imperatívnyj)
— computing: having semantics that incorporates mutable variables
Bulgarian :
заповеднически
(zapovedničeski)
— authoritatively or absolutely directive
Bulgarian :
безапелационен
(bezapelacionen)
— authoritatively or absolutely directive
Chinese Mandarin :
命令式的
(mìnglìngshì de)
— authoritatively or absolutely directive
Finnish :
pakottava
— authoritatively or absolutely directive
German :
zwingend
— authoritatively or absolutely directive
Hungarian :
ellentmondást nem tűrő
— authoritatively or absolutely directive
Irish :
tiarnúil
— authoritatively or absolutely directive
Finnish :
imperatiivi
— verb in imperative
Ingrian :
käskyforma
— verb in imperative
Polish :
rozkaźnik
— verb in imperative
Polish :
imperatiwus
— verb in imperative
Polish :
imperativus
— verb in imperative
Spanish :
imperativo
— verb in imperative
Dutch :
must
— essential action
Finnish :
pakko
— essential action
Finnish :
pakollinen juttu
— essential action
French :
impératif
— essential action
German :
Muss
— essential action
Hungarian :
elengedhetetlen dolog/követelmény
— essential action
Hungarian :
imperatívusz
— essential action
Icelandic :
nauðsyn
— essential action
Italian :
imperativo
— essential action
Italian :
necessario
— essential action
Latin :
necessitās
— essential action
Latin :
opus
— essential action
Māori :
tūhau
— essential action
Portuguese :
necessidade
— essential action
Spanish :
imperativo
— essential action
Turkish :
mecburiyet
— essential action
Turkish :
zorunluluk
— essential action