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imperative - 20 thesaurus results
| Main Entry: | imperative |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | necessary |
| Synonyms: | acute, burning, clamant, clamorous, compulsory, critical, crucial, crying, essential, exigent, immediate, important, importunate, indispensable, inescapable, insistent, instant, obligatory, pressing, urgent, vital, no turning back |
| Antonyms: | optional, secondary, unnecessary, voluntary, inessential |
| Main Entry: | imperative |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | authoritative |
| Synonyms: | aggressive, autocratic, bidding, bossy, commanding, dictatorial, dominant, domineering, harsh, high-handed, imperial, imperious, overbearing, peremptory, powerful, stern, ordering |
| Antonyms: | discretionary, free, unrestrained, voluntary |
| Main Entry: | compulsory |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | binding |
| Synonyms: | de rigueur, forced, imperative, imperious, mandatory, necessary, obligatory, required, requisite, compulsatory |
| Antonyms: | free, optional, voluntary, liberalized, liberated, unstipulated |
| Main Entry: | crucial |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | critical, important |
| Synonyms: | acute, central, clamorous, compelling, deciding, decisive, desperate, dire, essential, imperative, insistent, momentous, necessary, pivotal, pressing, searching, showdown*, touchy, urgent, vital, climacteric, climatic, hanging by thread, high-priority, on thin ice, touch and go |
| Notes: | the words crucial, essential, and vital cannot be qualified (cannot be more or less...) |
| Antonyms: | trivial, uncritical, unimportant, inessential |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | decisive |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | definite |
| Synonyms: | absolute, assured, bent, certain, conclusive, crisp, critical, crucial, decided, definitive, determined, fateful, final, firm, flat out*, forceful, imperative, imperious, incisive, influential, intent, litmus test*, momentous, peremptory, positive, resolute, set, settled, significant, trenchant, all out, resolved, straight out, strong-minded |
| Antonyms: | indecisive, indefinite, procrastinating, unpositive |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | dictatorial |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | tyrannical, authoritarian |
| Synonyms: | absolute, arbitrary, arrogant, autocratic, bossy, clamorous, despotic, doctrinaire, dogmatic, domineering, egotistic, firm, haughty, imperative, imperious, oppressive, overbearing, peremptory, pompous, proud, stern, totalitarian, unlimited, unrestricted, crack-the-whip, dictative, iron-handed, throwing weight around |
| Antonyms: | democratic, docile, passive |
| Main Entry: | domineering |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | oppressive, authoritarian |
| Synonyms: | arrogant, autocratic, bossy, coercive, crack the whip, despotic, dictatorial, egotistic, high-handed, imperative, imperial, imperious, in driver's seat, insolent, iron-handed, on high horse, overbearing, peremptory, tyrannical |
| Antonyms: | submissive, surrendering, yielding |
| Main Entry: | ethics/ethic |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | moral philosophy, values |
| Synonyms: | belief, conduct, conscience, convention, decency, goodness, honesty, honor, ideal, imperative, integrity, moral code, morality, mores, nature, practice, rules of conduct, standard, conventionalities, criteria, ethos, natural law, principles, right and wrong, standards, the Golden Rule |
| Antonyms: | corruption, immorality |
| Main Entry: | imperious |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | bossy, overbearing |
| Synonyms: | arrogant, authoritative, autocratic, commanding, compulsory, despotic, dictatorial, domineering, exacting, haughty, high-handed, imperative, imperial, mandatory, obligatory, oppressive, overweening, peremptory, required, tyrannical, compulsatory, tyrannous |
| Antonyms: | fawning, helpless, humble, obedient, servile, subservient, weak |
| Main Entry: | importunate |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | demanding, insistent |
| Synonyms: | burning, clamant, clamorous, crying, disturbing, dogged, earnest, exigent, imperative, instant, persevering, persistent, pertinacious, pressing, solicitous, troublesome, urgent, harassing, overly solicitous |
| Antonyms: | unimportant, relaxed, undemanding |
| Main Entry: | indispensable |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | necessary |
| Synonyms: | basal, basic, cardinal, crucial, essential, fundamental, imperative, key, needed, prerequisite, primary, required, requisite, vital, necessitous, needful |
| Antonyms: | dispensable, needless, nonessential, redundant, superfluous, unnecessary |
| Main Entry: | insistent |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | demanding |
| Synonyms: | assertive, burning, clamant, clamorous, continuous, crying, dire, dogged, emphatic, exigent, forceful, imperative, imperious, importunate, incessant, obstinate, peremptory, persevering, persistent, pressing, resolute, unrelenting, urgent, perseverant, reiterative, resounding |
| Antonyms: | disinterested, indifferent, lenient, tolerant |
| Main Entry: | insolent |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | bold, disrespectful |
| Synonyms: | abusive, arrogant, barefaced, brassy*, brazen, breezy, contemptuous, dictatorial, discourteous, disdainful, flip*, fresh, imperative, impertinent, impolite, impudent, insubordinate, insulting, magisterial, nervy, offensive, overbearing, peremptory, pert, put down, rude, sassy*, saucy*, smart, uncivil, ungracious, contumelious, off-base, out-of-line, procacious, smart-alecky |
| Antonyms: | cowardly, humble, modest, polite, respectful, servile |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | instant |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | immediate, urgent |
| Synonyms: | burning*, clamant, contemporary, crying*, current, dire, direct, exigent, extant, fast, imperative, importunate, insistent, instantaneous, present, pressing, prompt, quick, existent, on-the-spot, present-day, split-second |
| Antonyms: | delayed, eventual, late, later |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | irresistible |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | compelling; inescapable |
| Synonyms: | alluring, charming, enchanting, fascinating, glamorous, imperative, indomitable, ineluctable, inevitable, inexorable, invincible, lovable, overpowering, overwhelming, potent, powerful, ravishing, scrumptious, seductive, stunning, tempting, unavoidable, unconquerable, urgent, beckoning |
| Antonyms: | avoidable, escapable, resistible |
| Main Entry: | life-and-death |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | extremely important |
| Synonyms: | consequential, critical, crucial, determining, essential, imperative, important, indispensable, meaningful, paramount, pivotal, serious, significant, urgent, vital, all-important, earth-shaking, earth-shattering, life or death, of vital importance, vitally important |
| Main Entry: | mandate |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | authority, order |
| Synonyms: | authorization, behest, bidding, blank check*, carte blanche*, charge, command, commission, decree, dictate, directive, edict, fiat, go-ahead*, green light*, imperative, injunction, instruction, okay*, precept, sanction, warrant, word* |
| Antonyms: | denial, veto |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | mandatory |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | required, necessary |
| Synonyms: | binding, commanding, compelling, compulsory, de rigueur, essential, forced, imperative, imperious, indispensable, involuntary, obligatory, requisite, compulsatory, irremissible, needful |
| Antonyms: | optional, unnecessary, voluntary |
| Main Entry: | must |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | necessity, essential |
| Synonyms: | charge, commitment, condition, duty, fundamental, imperative, necessary, need, obligation, prerequisite, requirement, requisite, right, committal, devoir, ought, precondition, sine qua non |
| Main Entry: | necessity |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | need, essentiality |
| Synonyms: | call, cause, claim, compulsion, demand, duress, essence, essential, exigency, fundamental, godsend*, imperative, must, necessary, obligation, pinch, prerequisite, privation, requirement, requisite, stress, urgency, want, desideratum, exaction, indispensability, inevitability, inexorableness, life or death, needfulness, no alternative, no choice, precondition, sine qua non, undeniability, vital part, vitals |
| Antonyms: | desire, want |
* = informal/non-formal usage
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
