imperative means essential; crucial; extremely important. It carries an Arena rating of 1497, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, imperative ranks #1,795 of 17,052 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,360 of 17,052 for Most Malleable Words, #4,249 of 17,052 for Most Elegant Words, #4,672 of 17,052 for Most Incisive Words.
imperative is pronounced /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/.
Why “imperative” is a great word
Essential and requiring immediate attention or compliance. From Latin imperativus, from imperare ("to command"), itself from in- ("in, on") + parare ("to make ready, order"). Unlike "necessary," which merely indicates a requirement, or "mandatory," which denotes a formal rule, "imperative" carries the insistent weight of a command that brooks no delay. It is the hand on your shoulder in a burning house, the unignorable pull of a child's cry in the dark, the undeniable moral geometry of a single life placed in your hands—the moment when choice collapses into duty and hesitation is itself a failure.
adj
- Essential; crucial; extremely important.e.g.“That you come here right now is imperative.”
- Of, or relating to the imperative mood.
- Having semantics that incorporates mutable variables.
- Expressing a command; authoritatively or absolutely directive.e.g.“imperative orders”
noun
- The grammatical mood expressing an order (see jussive). In English, the imperative form of a verb is the same as that of the bare infinitive.e.g.“The verbs in sentences like "Do it!" and "Say what you like!" are in the imperative.”
- A verb in the imperative mood.
- An essential action, a must: something which is imperative.e.g.“Visiting Berlin is an imperative.”
Words closest in meaning
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