SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
imperative
adjective
Essential or urgently necessary.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Urgently necessary
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topImperative combines necessity with a strong demand for action; mandatory specifically indicates a requirement.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See imperative in use
Clear labeling is imperative when the boxes all look alike.
Before submitting a student film, Rosa found it imperative to export a playable final file: without one, the submission could not proceed.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license