imposed

[ im-pohzd ]

adjective

1. laid on by someone, especially an authority, as something to be endured, obeyed, paid, etc.:

   Offenders receive swiftly imposed but meaningful community service assignments, which the court monitors daily for compliance.

2. thrust or forced upon someone else, as one’s tastes, ideas, company, etc.:

   I pray for my children to grow confidently into who they have been created to be, free from the pressure of imposed reputation and expectation.

3. created or established forcibly or artificially rather than developing naturally:

   All living systems organize and reorganize themselves into adaptive patterns and structures without any externally imposed plan or direction.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of impose ( def ).

Other Words From

• sub·im·posed adjective
• un·im·posed adjective
• well-im·posed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of imposed¹

impose ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

The UN first imposed an arms embargo in Darfur in 2004, following allegations of ethnic cleansing against the region's non-Arabic population.

From BBC

The Biden administration, which kept many of Trump's China tariffs and imposed some new ones, only somewhat calmed the waters.

From BBC

He noted that “In Illinois last year we had about 1,000 murders, only 2 percent of that 1,000 were sentenced to death. Where is the fairness and equality in that? The death penalty in Illinois is not imposed fairly or uniformly because of the absence of standards for the 102 Illinois State Attorneys, who must decide whether to request the death sentence.”

From Slate

Within a year, Kazakhstan's Bitcoin mining industry went from boom to bust as the government imposed restrictions and increased taxes to curb the growth.

From BBC

He imposed such a rule in the final months of his first term, but Biden revoked it.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• prescribed
• required
• sanctioned