imperial

1 of 2

adjective

im·​pe·​ri·​al im-ˈpir-ē-əl How to pronounce imperial (audio)
1
a
: of, relating to, befitting, or suggestive of an empire or an emperor
b(1)
: of or relating to the United Kingdom as distinguished from the constituent parts
(2)
: of or relating to the Commonwealth of Nations and British Empire
2
3
a
: of superior or unusual size or excellence
b
sometimes Imperial : having a full body and a higher-than-average percentage of alcohol
an imperial stout
4
: belonging to the official British series of weights and measures see Weights and Measures Table
imperially adverb

imperial

2 of 2

noun

1
Imperial : an adherent or soldier of the Holy Roman emperor
2
3
: a pointed beard growing below the lower lip
4
: something of unusual size or excellence

Examples of imperial in a Sentence

Adjective a member of the imperial family envisioned an imperial city that would rival the capitals of Europe for beauty and magnificence
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
But the Mona Passage — fast-flowing, shark-infested, one of the roughest stretches of water in the world — remains a troubled crucible of imperial traffic. Carina Del Valle Schorske, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024 In this alternate universe, which for Jin appears as a version of imperial China, the mercurial gravitational forces of a trio of suns render survival impossible. Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 Commodification of the season In contemporary Japan, the cherry blossoms are celebrated by many members of society, not only the imperial court. Małgorzata (gosia) K. Citko-Duplantis, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2024 Many in Ukraine view this war as the latest chapter in centuries of oppression at the hands of Russian rulers and so see liberal Russians, including the Navalnys, as just part of Russian society — and its imperial project. Serhiy Morgunov, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Butler had more even ground to fight on — first the sands of the arena, then the smooth tiles of the imperial palace. Christian Holub, EW.com, 3 Mar. 2024 But the biggest star of Dune: Part Two may be its immersive environment: the giant ships landing and taking off, the colossal sandworms who rampage without a care in the world for imperial politics. David Sims, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2024 If Putin subjugates Ukraine, other former Russian imperial possessions, in particular the Baltic states, are likely to be in his sights. TIME, 21 Feb. 2024 At the same time, the pacing proves more halting, particularly in the first hour or so of this 166-minute spectacle, which plunges deeply into the intricacies of imperial politics and Fremen customs, punctuated by skirmishes in the larger war. Brian Lowry, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024
Noun
Crab imperial is a dish featuring lump crab in its purest form, enhanced only by a light imperial sauce, without the additional binders used to make crab cakes. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 8 July 2023 While crab cakes might be more widely served today, crab imperial will always be a great way to showcase fresh crabmeat. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 8 July 2023 The Quechan Tribe has successfully fought mining on and near sacred lands on BLM lands north of their current tribal lands in Imperial County, California. Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 26 Apr. 2023 Charles will wear St Edward's Crown and the Imperial State Crown, while Camila will wear Queen Mary's Crown. Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 Apr. 2023 The acquisition also adds a central Alabama distribution center to Imperial’s network. William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, 20 Apr. 2023 The postponement does not apply to residents and businesses in seven counties: Imperial, Kern, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta and Sierra. Jessica Flores, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Apr. 2023 The Imperial State Crown features four pearls believed to be from the personal collection of Queen Elizabeth I. 13. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 14 Apr. 2023 That would hit California farmers in places such as the Imperial Valley - who suck up a lot of the river and have rights to it that predate cities - particularly hard. Joshua Partlow, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'imperial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English imperial, emperiall, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French emperial, imperiall, borrowed from Latin imperiālis "of the Roman emperor," from imperium "supreme administrative authority, power exercised by a Roman emperor" + -ālis -al entry 1 — more at empire

Noun

derivative of imperial entry 1, probably after Middle French imperiaux (plural); (sense 3) translation of French impériale

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

circa 1524, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of imperial was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near imperial

Cite this Entry

“Imperial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imperial. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

imperial

1 of 2 adjective
im·​pe·​ri·​al im-ˈpir-ē-əl How to pronounce imperial (audio)
: of, relating to, or fine enough for an empire or an emperor
imperially adverb

imperial

2 of 2 noun
: a pointed beard growing below the lower lip

More from Merriam-Webster on imperial

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