Imperious — Defs

01 a. Commanding; ascendant; imperial; lordly; majestic.

1.
Commanding; ascendant; imperial; lordly; majestic.[Obs.]
“Therefore, great lords, be, as your titles witness, Imperious.” — Shak.
2.
Haughly; arrogant; overbearing; as, an imperious tyrant; an imperious manner.
“This imperious man will work us all From princes into pages.” — Shak.

“His bold, contemptuous, and imperious spirit soon made him conspicuous.” — Macaulay.
3.
Imperative; urgent; compelling.
“Imperious need, which can not be withstood.” — Dryden.

Syn. Dictatorial; haughty; domineering; overbearing; lordly; tyrannical; despotic; arrogant; imperative; authoritative; commanding; pressing.

-- Imperious, Lordly, Domineering. One who is imperious exercises his authority in a manner highly offensive for its spirit and tone; one who is lordly assumes a lofty air in order to display his importance; one who is domineering gives orders in a way to make others feel their inferiority.