imperative B2 Topic:Grammar & Function Words US /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/ UK /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/ See IPA manual Freq #12754 Meanings 1 adj Extremely important and necessary; something that must be done. It is imperative that you arrive on time for the exam. 2 noun Something that is absolutely necessary or urgent. Protecting the environment is a moral imperative for us all. 3 noun In grammar, the form of a verb used to give an order or command. In the sentence "Close the door!", the verb is in the imperative. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · extremely important and... essentialcrucial 3 noun · in grammar, the form of a... imperative mood More required Word family Forms imperativelyimperatives Derived forms imperativalimperativenessimperativistnonimperativepostimperativeunimperativewhimperative Related forms jussivevolitive Common collocations hypothetical imperative Adjective + noun Etymology AI details Borrowed from Latin imperātīvus. *per- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Grammar & Function Words External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # imperative **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** adj, noun **IPA (US):** /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/ **IPA (UK):** /ɪmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/ **Frequency rank:** 12754 ## Meanings 1. Extremely important and necessary; something that must be done. 2. Something that is absolutely necessary or urgent. 3. In grammar, the form of a verb used to give an order or command. ## Examples - It is imperative that you arrive on time for the exam. - Protecting the environment is a moral imperative for us all. - In the sentence "Close the door!", the verb is in the imperative. ## Synonyms - required ## Derived Forms - imperatival - imperativeness - imperativist - nonimperative - postimperative - unimperative - whimperative ## Related Forms - jussive - volitive ## Roots and Affixes - Root: *per- ## Etymology Borrowed from Latin imperātīvus. ## AI Etymology Imperative is borrowed from Latin imperātīvus. The historical line also includes *per- (Proto-Indo-European). In current use, the main senses are “Extremely important and necessary; something that must be done” and “Something that is absolutely necessary or urgent”. ## Topics - Grammar & Function Words markdown