Standard Lemma guide

imperative

adj · noun · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American: /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/
  • Canada, General-American: [ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.ɾɪv]
  • Texas: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ɪmˈpeɹ.ə.tɪv/
  • Australian: [ɪmˈpeɹ.ə.ɾɪv]
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 M P EH1 R AH0 T IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

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

2

adj

Meaning 2

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

3

adj

Meaning 3

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

4

adj

Meaning 4

Expressing a command; authoritatively or absolutely directive.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • imperative orders

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

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

6

noun

Meaning 6

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

7

noun

Meaning 7

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

8

adjective

Meaning 8

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

9

adjective

Meaning 9

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

10

noun

Meaning 10

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

11

noun

Meaning 11

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

History

Etymology

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
Real reading context

imperative in complete knowledge articles