Imperious Im·pe"ri·ous adjective [ Latin
imperiosus : confer French
impérieux . See
Imperial .]
1. Commanding; ascendant; imperial; lordly; majestic. [ Obsolete] "A vast and
imperious mind."
Tilloison. 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.
Impertinent Im·per"ti·nent adjective [ French, from Latin
impertinens ,
-entis ; prefix
im- not +
pertinens . See
Pertinent .]
1. Not pertinent; not pertaining to the matter in hand; having no bearing on the subject; not to the point; irrelevant; inapplicable. Things that are impertinent to us.
Tillotson. How impertinent that grief was which served no end!
Jer. Taylor. 2. Contrary to, or offending against, the rules of propriety or good breeding; guilty of, or prone to, rude, unbecoming, or uncivil words or actions; as, an impertient coxcomb; an impertient remark. 3. Trifing; inattentive; frivolous. Syn. -- Rude; officious; intrusive; saucy; unmannerly; meddlesome; disrespectful; impudent; insolent. --
Impertinent ,
Officious ,
Rude . A person is
officious who obtrudes his
offices or assistance where they are not needed; he is
impertinent when he intermeddles in things with which he has no concern. The former shows a want of tact, the latter a want of breeding, or, more commonly, a spirit of sheer impudence. A person is
rude when he violates the proprieties of social life either from ignorance or wantonness. "An
impertinent man will ask questions for the mere gratification of curiosity; a
rude man will burst into the room of another, or push against his person, inviolant of all decorum; one who is
officious is quite as unfortunate as he is troublesome; when he strives to serve, he has the misfortune to annoy."
Crabb. See
Impudence , and
Insolent .