imperative
/ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.66 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Of, or relating to the imperative mood.
adj
adj
Expressing a command; authoritatively or absolutely directive.
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.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "That you come here right now is imperative."
- "Meantime, alterations at King William Street had become imperative, and by December 22, 1895, the station had been remodelled, as at Stockwell, to provide an island platform with lines each side, and a scissors crossing."
- "Give this document to Ozzy. It's imperative that he reads and understands it. Got it?"
- "imperative orders"
- "The suits of kings are imperative."
- "The verbs in sentences like "Do it!" and "Say what you like!" are in the imperative."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- Proto-Indo-European *pr̥h₃o- Latin *paro- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin parō Latin imperō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin īvus Latin imperātīvusbor. English imperative Borrowed from Latin imperātīvus.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/
- British English: /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/
Usage
Inflected Forms
more imperative (comparative)
most imperative (superlative)
imp. (alternative, abbreviation)
imper. (alternative, abbreviation)
imperatives (plural)