"Imperative" traces back to the Latin imperare, meaning "to give a command."

In English, "imperative" started out as a grammar term, and we still use it that way. Imperative sentences tell people what to do: "Wait!" "Buckle up." "Tell me a secret." "Please put more cheese on this." And imperative verbs do the same thing: "wait," "buckle," "tell," "put."

From this sense of grammatical commanding, "imperative" also came to mean, more generally, "commanding, telling people what to do." If your voice, your eyes, or your mannerisms seem to boss people around or give them instructions, they're imperative.

In another more generalized sense, something imperative is very important and must be done, often soon or urgently. Imperative tasks, desires, or requirements, for example, are essential and must be done or obeyed. This sense of the word is most commonly used today, so we'll focus mostly on it.

Lastly, we also use "imperative" as a noun. An imperative is a command, an obligation, a rule that absolutely must be followed, or a thing that absolutely must be done.

Part of speech:

Often an adjective: "It's imperative that you buckle your seat belt."

Also a noun: "It's an imperative: buckle your seat belt."

Other forms: 

The plural noun is "imperatives," and the noun for the quality is "imperativeness."

The adverb is "imperatively."

how to use it:

Pick the common, formal, stern-sounding word "imperative" when you want to talk urgently and emphatically about what must be done.

Say that it's imperative for people to do something, or that it's imperative that people do something. Or, say that some action or decision is imperative.

examples:

"An airtight hatch in the bottom of the saucer was opened. Down snaked a ladder that was outlined in pretty lights like a Ferris wheel. Billy’s will was paralyzed by a zap gun aimed at him from one of the portholes. It became imperative that he take hold of the bottom rung of the sinuous ladder, which he did."
  — Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughter-House Five, 1969

"[Kamala Harris] added that competition within the food industry is ultimately necessary to help bring down the high cost of food nationwide. However, food companies begged to differ, arguing that price hikes are imperative due to high inflation which has caused the costs of labor and raw materials to increase greatly."
  — Joy Saha, Salon, 26 August 2026

has this page helped you understand "imperative"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "imperative" without saying "essential" or "commanded."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "For people (in a certain situation), (something) is the imperative need."

Example 1: "For people whose lives have been taken over by their hoarding, respect and professional therapy are the imperative needs."

Example 2: "For those in whom cancer is already a hidden or a visible presence, efforts to find cures must of course continue. But for those not yet touched by the disease and certainly for the generations as yet unborn, prevention is the imperative need."
  — Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, 1962

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "Alliterate a Little; It'll Lift It."

I'll give you a phrase that doesn't alliterate, and you'll make it alliterate by changing one or both words—while preserving, as best you can, the meaning of the original. 

For example: A car that demands too much fuel is a "gas guzzler." But what alliterative term could you invent for a dishwasher that demands too much detergent?

You could call it a "soap slurper," or a "detergent devourer."

Try this one today...

Everyone loves a "pizza parlor." What alliterative term could you invent for a "coffee shop"?

To see one possible answer, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. One opposite of IMPERATIVE is

A. TANGIBLE: so strong or so intense that it's as if you could touch it.
B. NEGLIGIBLE: so small or unimportant that it doesn't require care or attention.
C. COMBUSTIBLE: so angry or passionate that it's as if it could catch on fire.

2. In the context of _____, Rebecca E. F. Barone wrote, "It is imperative that scientists learn how to describe their work to the larger world."

A. protecting cute endangered species
B. global pandemics and volcanic eruptions
C. incomprehensible diagrams of how batteries work

Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. B From the game: Any alliterative label you came up with is great! Mine is "coffee caffeinery." Redundant, since the word "caffeine" was built on "coffee," but I like it.

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.