adj. 1. Arrogantly domineering or overbearing. See Synonyms at dictatorial. 2. Urgent; pressing: an imperious necessity. 3. Obsolete Regal; imperial. im·peri·ous·ly adv. im·peri·ous·ness n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.