It is imperative for you to act at once.
Source: tatoeba (17650)
Imperative
//ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv//
Synonyms for "imperative" (279 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (56)
Noun(1 words)
insistentperemptoryurgentabsoluteabsolutistabsolutisticacidacuteadjuratoryallegiancearbitraryaristocraticarrogantascendantassertoricassigned taskauthoritarianauthoritativeauthorizedautocratic
Show 35 more words
basicbehestbiddingbindingbitingbossybounden dutyburdenburningbusinesscall of dutycanoncase of needchargechoicelessclaimedclamantclamorousclothed with authoritycoactivecodecommandcommandingcommandmentcommitmentcompellingcompetentcompulsatorycompulsivecompulsoryconclusiveconditionalconsequentialconsiderableconstraining
Strong matches (84)
controllingconventioncorrosivecriticalcrucialcryingcuttingde rigueurdecisivedecretaldecretivedecretorydedicationdeferencedemandeddemandingdesperatedespoticdevoirdevotion
Show 62 more words
dictatedictateddictatingdictationdictatorialdictumdiredire necessitydirect orderdirectivedogmaticdominantdomineeringdrivingduly constitutedduties and responsibilitiesdutyeffectiveeminentempoweredentailedessentialethicsex officioexactingexigenceexigencyexigentfealtyfeudalfinalforcefulforcibleformformulafundamentalgeneral principlegolden rulegoverninggreatgrindingguidelineguiding principlegutsyhard and fasthard-and-fastharshhegemonichegemonistichesthigh handedhigh-handedhigh-pressurehigh-priorityhomageimmediacyimperative moodimperativenessimperialimperiousimportantimportunate
Noun(2 words)
Related words (139)
imposedimpressiveincisiveindicativeindispensableinevitableinfluentialinsolentinstantinstructiveinterrogativeinvoluntaryirresistibleirrevocablejussivelawleadingline of dutylordlyloyalty
Show 115 more words
magisterialmagistralmandatemandatedmandatingmandatorymasterfulmatter of necessitymaximmightymissionmitzvahmodemomentousmonocraticmoodmoralmordantmustnecessarynecessitousneedfulnervousnormobligatingobligationobligativeobligatoryofficialonusoppressiveoptativeorderorderingordinanceoughtoverbearingoverrulingpenetratingpermissivepiercingpivotalplacepleasurepoignantpotentpotentialpowerfulpreceptivepredicamentpreeminentprerequisiteprescriptprescriptivepressingpressingnesspressureprestigiousprincipiumprincipleprominentpronouncementpuissantpunchyrankingregulationrepressiverequiredrequisiterespectrestrainingrubricrulerulingsay sosay-soself-imposed dutyseniorsensationalsettled principleseveresinewedsinewyslashingspecial orderstandardsternstrictstridentstrikingstrongsubjunctivesubstantialsuperiorsuppressivesupremetellingtenettotalitariantrenchanttyrannicaltyrannousultimateurgencyurgent needvigorousvitalweightywillwithout appealwithout choicewordword of commandworking principleworking rule
Noun(2 words)
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
8 entriesAntonyms
1 entriesSynonyms
1 entriesRelated terms
2 entriescoordinate
2 entriesderived
16 entrieshas context
2 entriesis a
1 entriesrelated to
13 entriessimilar
22 entriesShowing 16 of 22 words.
Translations
95 translations across 36 languages.
Arabic
2 entries- أَسَاسِيّ adj (essential)
- ضَرُورِيّ adj (essential)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- əmr şəkli adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
Belarusian
1 entries- зага́дны adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
Bengali
2 entries- অত্যন্ত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ adj (essential)
- জরুরি adj (essential)
Bulgarian
3 entries- безапелационен adj (authoritatively or absolutely directive)
- заповеднически adj (authoritatively or absolutely directive)
- повели́телен adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
Catalan
2 entries- imperatiu adj (essential)
- imperatiu adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
Chinese Mandarin
4 entries- 命令式的 adj (authoritatively or absolutely directive)
- 必須的 /必须的 adj (essential)
- 祈使的 adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
- 至關重要的 /至关重要的 adj (essential)
Czech
3 entries- nutný adj (essential)
- rozkazovací adj (essential)
- rozkazovací adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
Dutch
2 entries- noodzakelijk adj (essential)
- must noun (essential action)
Esperanto
1 entries- imperativa adj (essential)
Finnish
4 entries- imperatiivinen adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
- imperatiivinen adj (computing: having semantics that incorporates mutable variables)
- pakollinen adj (essential)
- pakottava adj (authoritatively or absolutely directive)
French
4 entries- essentiel adj (essential)
- impératif adj (essential)
- impératif adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
- indispensable adj (essential)
German
4 entries- essentiell adj (essential)
- essenziell adj (essential)
- notwendig adj (essential)
- unverzichtbar adj (essential)
Greek
1 entries- επιτακτικός adj (essential)
Hungarian
4 entries- ellentmondást nem tűrő adj (authoritatively or absolutely directive)
- felszólító adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
- okvetlenül/rendkívül/különösen/égetően fontos adj (essential)
- parancsoló adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
Icelandic
2 entries- mikilvægur adj (essential)
- nauðsyn noun (essential action)
Ingrian
1 entries- käskyforma noun (verb in imperative)
Irish
1 entries- tiarnúil adj (authoritatively or absolutely directive)
Italian
4 entries- imperativo adj (essential)
- imperativo adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
- necessaria adj (essential)
- necessario adj (essential)
Kabyle
1 entries- anaḍ adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
Korean
2 entries- 긴요한 adj (essential)
- 반드 필요한 adj (essential)
Latin
4 entries- necessum adj (essential)
- necessus adj (essential)
- necessitās noun (essential action)
- opus noun (essential action)
Macedonian
1 entries- заповеден adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
Māori
1 entries- tūhau noun (essential action)
Persian
1 entries- دستوری adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- drinjent adj (essential)
Polish
4 entries- arcyważny adj (essential)
- rozkazujący adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
- imperativus noun (verb in imperative)
- imperatiwus noun (verb in imperative)
Portuguese
4 entries- essencial adj (essential)
- imperativo adj (essential)
- imperativo adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
- necessidade noun (essential action)
Russian
3 entries- императи́вный adj (computing: having semantics that incorporates mutable variables)
- обяза́тельный adj (essential)
- повели́тельный adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- àithneach adj (essential)
Slovak
1 entries- rozkazovací adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
Spanish
4 entries- imperativo adj (essential)
- imperativo adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
- imperativo noun (verb in imperative)
- imperativo noun (essential action)
Swedish
1 entries- imperativ adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
Tagalog
1 entries- pautos adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
Turkish
4 entries- emir kipi adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
- mecburi adj (essential)
- zorunlu adj (essential)
- mecburiyet noun (essential action)
Ukrainian
1 entries- наказо́вий adj (grammar: of, or relating to the imperative mood)
Sample sentences
19 total sentences available.
It is imperative that you be on time as usual.
Source: tatoeba (66107)
It is imperative that we should encourage participatory forms of decision-making.
Source: tatoeba (245039)
It is imperative for you to finish by Sunday.
Source: tatoeba (281879)
Showing 4 of 19 available sentences.
Keep exploring
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.