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imperious
5 dictionary results for: Imperious
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
im·pe·ri·ous 
[im-peer-ee-uhs] Pronunciation Key
[im-peer-ee-uhs] Pronunciation Key –adjective
| 1. | domineering in a haughty manner; dictatorial; overbearing: an imperious manner; an imperious person. |
| 2. | urgent; imperative: imperious need. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| im·pe·ri·ous
(ĭm-pîr'ē-əs) Pronunciation Key
adj.
[From Latin imperiōsus, from imperium, imperium; see empire.] im·pe'ri·ous·ly adv., im·pe'ri·ous·ness n. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
imperious
imperious
1541, from L. imperiosus "commanding, mighty, powerful," from imperium "empire, command" (see empire).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| imperious | |
adjective | |
| having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy; "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"- W.L.Shirer [syn: disdainful] |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Imperious
Im*pe"ri*ous\, a. [L. imperiosus: cf. F. imp['e]rieux. See Imperial.]1. Commanding; ascendant; imperial; lordly; majestic. [Obs.] "A vast and imperious mind." --Tilloison. Therefore, great lords, be, as your titles witness, Imperious. --Shak. 2. Haughly; arrogant; overbearing; as, an imperious tyrant; an imperious manner. This imperious man will work us all From princes into pages. --Shak. His bold, contemptuous, and imperious spirit soon made him conspicuous. --Macaulay. 3. Imperative; urgent; compelling. Imperious need, which can not be withstood. --Dryden. Syn: Dictatorial; haughty; domineering; overbearing; lordly; tyrannical; despotic; arrogant; imperative; authoritative; commanding; pressing. Usage: Imperious, Lordly, Domineering. One who is imperious exercises his authority in a manner highly offensive for its spirit and tone; one who is lordly assumes a lofty air in order to display his importance; one who is domineering gives orders in a way to make other feel their inferiority.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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