Standard Lemma guide

imperious

adj · 4 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: /ɪmˈpɪə̯.ɹi.əs/
  • US: /ɪmˈpɪɹ.i.əs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪəɹiəs
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 M P IH1 R IY0 AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Domineering, arrogant, or overbearing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: authoritarian, bossy, dictatorial, domineering, overbearing

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Urgent; intensely compelling.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Imperial or regal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy- W.L.Shirer

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • some economists are disdainful of their colleagues in other social disciplines
  • haughty aristocrats
  • his lordly manners were offensive
  • walked with a prideful swagger
  • very sniffy about breaches of etiquette
  • his mother eyed my clothes with a supercilious air
  • a more swaggering mood than usual

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disdainful, haughty, lordly, overbearing, prideful, sniffy, supercilious, swaggering

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin imperiōsus (“mighty, powerful”), from imperium (“command, authority, power”).

Across languages

Translations

34 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: آمِر (ʔāmir) — domineering, overbearing
  • Old Armenian: հպարտ (hpart) — domineering, overbearing
  • Old Armenian: սէգ (sēg) — domineering, overbearing
  • Bulgarian: повелителен (povelitelen) — domineering, overbearing
  • Bulgarian: заповеднически (zapovedničeski) — domineering, overbearing
  • Catalan: imperiós — domineering, overbearing
  • Chinese Mandarin: 驕橫 /骄横 (jiāohèng) — domineering, overbearing
  • Dutch: heerszuchtigdominanthooghartig — domineering, overbearing
  • Finnish: käskevä — domineering, overbearing
  • Finnish: kopea — domineering, overbearing
  • Finnish: ylimielinen — domineering, overbearing
  • French: impérieux — domineering, overbearing
  • German: herrisch — domineering, overbearing
  • Irish: anúdarásach — domineering, overbearing
  • Irish: máistriúil — domineering, overbearing
  • Irish: tiarnúil — domineering, overbearing
  • Latin: imperiōsus — domineering, overbearing
  • Manx: ard-chreeagh — domineering, overbearing
  • Māori: whakatopatopa — domineering, overbearing
  • Māori: whakatarapī — domineering, overbearing
  • Occitan: imperiós — domineering, overbearing
  • Portuguese: imperioso — domineering, overbearing
  • Russian: вла́стный (vlástnyj) — domineering, overbearing
  • Russian: повели́тельный (povelítelʹnyj) — domineering, overbearing
  • Russian: нача́льственный (načálʹstvennyj) — domineering, overbearing
  • Spanish: imperioso — domineering, overbearing
  • Bulgarian: властен (vlasten) — imperial or regal
  • Bulgarian: царствен (carstven) — imperial or regal
  • German: königlich — imperial or regal
  • German: majestätisch — imperial or regal
  • Portuguese: imperial — imperial or regal
  • Russian: импе́рский (impérskij) — imperial or regal
  • Russian: ца́рственный (cárstvennyj) — imperial or regal
  • Russian: короле́вский (korolévskij) — imperial or regal