imperial Hear it!

imperial Definition

im·peri·al (im pir′ē əl)

adjective

  1. of an empire
  2. of a country having control or sovereignty over other countries or colonies
  3. of, or having the rank of, an emperor or empress
  4. having supreme authority; sovereign
    1. majestic; august
    2. imperious
  6. of great size or superior quality
    1. of or pertaining to the Commonwealth
    2. according to the standard of weights and measures set by British law and used in Great Britain, Canada, and some other countries

Etymology: OFr < L imperialis < imperium, empire

noun

  1. a supporter or a soldier of any of the Holy Roman emperors
  2. the roof or top of a coach, or a luggage case carried on it
  3. an article of great size or superior quality
  4. a size of writing paper measuring 23 by 31 inches (in England, 22 by 30 or 32 inches)
  5. ☆

    Etymology: after the emperor Louis Napoleon, who set this fashion

    a pointed tuft of beard on the lower lip and chin

imperial Related Forms

im·pe′ri·ally adverb

imperial Synonyms

imperial

modif.

  1. Concerning an emperor or empress

    sovereign, supreme, hegemonic, imperatorial, august; see also royal 1.

  2. Suited to the dignity of an emperor

    regal, majestic, august, magnificent; see royal 2.

imperial Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • truly: This is the year in which Queen Victoria held her Diamond Jubilee in truly imperial pomp and ceremony.
  • then: From the Romans to the Normans to the Dutch invasion of 1688, our island stories are typically global and then imperial.

Modifies a noun

  • majesty: Vain to protest against the imperial majesty of Rome!
  • throne: Yet O, imperial throne, I bought thee dear!
  • palace: What would the German emperors of the Middle Ages be without their cathedrals and their imperial palaces?
  • gallon: The spare wheel is held in a secure cradle beneath the boot / gasoline tank which holds 10 imperial gallons.
  • cult: There is far more evidence from the province of Britain for homage to the Emperor than for the imperial cult.
  • dynasty: Either way, the result was a new imperial dynasty: the Flavians.

Used with adjective complement

  • use: Yet both the Government and the news media usually communicate with the public using imperial.
  • convert: Shoppers are frequently unable to compare the prices of similar products without using a calculator to convert imperial into metric.
  • comprise: Delhi The bustling capital of India is a city of two centers, comprising imperial Lutyens architecture and numerous monuments to the Moghul empire.
  • look: This looks more imperial than cosmopolitan and more power political than liberal.

Noun used with modifier

  • mint: My granny Beattie, seemed to carry a perminent packet of mint imperials in her pinny pocket.
  • crown: They should be planted to a depth of 6in / 15cm in a dryish soil - crown imperials will not thrive in wet soil.