imperative

American  

[im-per-uh-tiv] / ɪmˈpɛr ə tɪv /

adjective

1. absolutely necessary or required; unavoidable.

   It is imperative that we leave.

   Synonyms:

   compelling, exigent, essential, indispensable, inescapable

2. of the nature of or expressing a command; commanding.

3. Grammar. noting or pertaining to the mood of the verb used in commands, requests, etc., as in Listen! Go!

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noun

• imperatives
  plural

1. a command.

2. something that demands attention or action; an unavoidable obligation or requirement; necessity.

   It is an imperative that we help defend friendly nations.

3. Grammar.

   1. the imperative mood.

   2. a verb in this mood.

4. an obligatory statement, principle, or the like.

imperative British  

/ ɪmˈpɛrətɪv /

adjective

1. extremely urgent or important; essential

2. peremptory or authoritative

   an imperative tone of voice

3. Also: imperatival.  grammar denoting a mood of verbs used in giving orders, making requests, etc. In English the verb root without any inflections is the usual form, as for example leave in Leave me alone

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noun

1. something that is urgent or essential

2. an order or command

3. grammar

   1. the imperative mood

   2. a verb in this mood

imperative Cultural  

1. A grammatical category describing verbs that command or request: “Leave town by tonight”; “Please hand me the spoon.”

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Usage

What is an imperative sentence? An imperative sentence is a sentence used to give commands or instructions or make requests, as in Give me that. It usually begins with a verb or a verb phrase. Imperative sentences often don’t have an apparent subject. Instead the subject is implied, usually the person who the speaker is giving the commands or instructions to. It is possible to include subjects in imperative sentences by addressing the person separately, as in Joe, hand me that wrench. While imperative sentences often start with verbs, they can also begin with adverbs, as in Carefully move the sofa, or prepositional phrases, as in Without opening your eyes, count to ten.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• imperativeness
  noun
• nonimperativeness
  noun
• nonimperative
  adjective
• unimperative
  adjective
• imperatively
  adverb
• nonimperatively
  adverb
• unimperatively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• imperatives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of imperative

First recorded in 1520–30; from Late Latin imperātivus, equivalent to Latin imperāt(us) “imposed,” past participle of imperāre “to impose, order, command” ( im- im- ¹ + -perāre, combining form of parāre “to set, get ready, produce, obtain”; see prepare) + -īvus -ive

Explanation

When something absolutely has to be done and cannot be put off, use the adjective imperative. Imperative is from Latin imperare, "to command," and its original use was for a verb form expressing a command: "Do it!" is an imperative sentence. The word is still used that way, but it's more commonly applied to something so pressing it cannot be put off: "It's imperative that we hire more workers if we want to complete the job on time." Imperative has more immediate force than pressing but less than urgent.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

imperative imperatives

Finding new markets has become more imperative as competition intensifies for Chinese beauty labels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

He thinks the first imperative is that tribal voices be heard, in no small part because they “had their relationship with wildlife taken from them.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The lawyer says it is imperative to reactivate civil registry offices in accessible areas and intensify legal efforts to ensure children obtain their right to identity and legal recognition.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

“It’s imperative that the community has a voice in such significant changes.”

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

It was imperative that there be postulated against what or whom Ross’s crimes had been committed.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

They’re losing out on great candidates, visionary leaders and businesses, to say nothing of the moral imperatives of equal access and opportunity.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026

Part of that is down to financial imperatives, as a big fall in oil prices before the current war in the Middle East meant that even Saudi Arabia's extraordinary wealth took a hit.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

Margulies explains how, when we allow obscure legal language to overshadow moral imperatives, we can end up in very dark places.

From Slate ● Jan. 31, 2026

Meta Platforms for years veered between competitive imperatives like copying TikTok with a product called Reels to expensive long-term projects like starting a virtual-reality world dubbed the metaverse, which it is now scaling back.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025

Thus every scientist is subject to two competing and conflicting imperatives: they are obliged to be both competitive and cooperative.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• compulsory
• critical
• crucial
• essential
• immediate
• important
• indispensable
• inescapable
• obligatory
• pressing
• urgent
• vital