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Synonyms

imperator

American  
[im-puh-rah-ter, -rah-tawr, -rey-ter] / ˌɪm pəˈrɑ tər, -ˈrɑ tɔr, -ˈreɪ tər /

noun

  1. an absolute or supreme ruler.

  2. (in Imperial Rome) emperor.

  3. (in Republican Rome) a temporary title accorded a victorious general.

imperator British  
/ ˌɪmpəˈrɑːtɔː, ɪmˌpɛrəˈtɔːrɪəl /

noun

    1. (in imperial Rome) a title of the emperor

    2. (in republican Rome) a temporary title of honour bestowed upon a victorious general

  2. a less common word for emperor

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • imperatorial adjective
  • imperatorially adverb
  • imperatorship noun

Etymology

Origin of imperator

1570–80; < Latin imperātor; emperor

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In 2022 a study in the journal Nature revealed that a pterosaur known as Tupandactylus imperator had microscopic structures in its skin known as melanosomes.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2023

In February, a team of scientists sent shock waves through the world of paleontology when it posited that Tyrannosaurus rex was actually three distinct species — T. rex, T. imperator and T. regina.

From New York Times • Jul. 26, 2022

The fossil, described on Wednesday in a new study in Nature, is a pterosaur called Tupandactylus imperator that was found in the Early Cretaceous limestone of Brazil’s Crato Formation.

From Scientific American • Apr. 20, 2022

Earlier this year, a trio of paleontologists proposed that some of the fossils labeled T. rex are different species and should get new names—T. regina and T. imperator.

From Slate • Apr. 2, 2022

Though he took the title of imperator more than twenty times, and enjoyed at least one triumph, Domitian’s military achievements were insignificant.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 6 "Dodwell" to "Drama" by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.