Emily Dickinson Lexicon
Definition for IM-PE'RI-OUS
IM-PE'RI-OUS, a. [L. imperiosus; It. and Sp. imperioso; Fr. imperieux. See Imperial.]
- Commanding; dictatorial; haughty; arrogant; overbearing; domineering; as, an imperious tyrant; an imperious dictator; an imperious man; an imperious temper. More. Shak.
- Commanding; indicating an imperious temper; authoritative; as, imperious words. Locke.
- Powerful; overbearing; not to be opposed by obstacles; as, a man of a vast and imperious mind. Tillotson.
- Commanding; urgent; pressing; as, imperious love; imperious circumstances; imperious appetite. Dryden. S. S. Smith.
- Authoritative; commanding with rightful authority. The commandment high and imperious in its claims. D. A. Clark.
Return to page 31 of the letter “I”.