Imperative Meaning
/ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjEssential; crucial; extremely important.
adjOf, or relating to the imperative mood.
Sentence Examples
It is imperative for you to act at once.
It is imperative that you be on time as usual.
CEFR Practice Quiz
It is ____ that you follow all safety rules exactly to prevent any accidents.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It is absolutely ____ that you follow all the safety guidelines while working in the laboratory.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *perh₃-der. Latin parō Latin imperō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin īvus Latin imperātīvusbor. English imperative Borrowed from Latin imperātīvus.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 1941 May, “Jubilee of the City Tube”, in Railway Magazine, page 224:
"Give this document to Ozzy. It's imperative that he reads and understands it. Got it?"
— 2019, Con Man Games, SmashGames, quoting Felix, Kindergarten 2, SmashGames:
"The suits of kings are imperative."
— 1612–1626, [Joseph Hall], “(please specify the page)”, in [Contemplations vpon the Principall Passages of the Holy Storie], volume (please specify |volume=II, V, or VI), London, →OCLC:
"Anything grandiose or historically based tends to sound flat and banal when it reaches English, partly because translators get stuck between contradictory imperatives: juggling fidelity to the original sense with what is vocally viable, they tend to resort to a genteel fustian which lacks either poetic resonance or demotic realism, adding to a sense of artificiality rather than enhancing credibility."
— 2014 March 1, Rupert Christiansen, “English translations rarely sing”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review), page R19:
"The new imperative for investment is the Government's objective to secure carbon-neutral transport emissions by 2040."
— 2020 December 2, Industry Insider, “The costs of cutting carbon”, in Rail, page 76:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
It is ____ that you follow all safety rules exactly to prevent any accidents.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It is absolutely ____ that you follow all the safety guidelines while working in the laboratory.