imperial

1 of 2

adjective

im·​pe·​ri·​al im-ˈpir-ē-əl 

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

a

: sovereign

b

: regal, imperious

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

im-ˈpir-ē-ə-lē 

adverb

imperial

2 of 2

noun

1

Imperial : an adherent or soldier of the Holy Roman emperor

2

: emperor

3

: a pointed beard growing below the lower lip

4

: something of unusual size or excellence

Synonyms

Adjective

• august
• baronial
• epic
• gallant
• glorious
• grand
• grandiose
• heroic
• heroical
• Homeric
• imposing
• magnific
• magnificent
• majestic
• massive
• monumental
• noble
• proud
• regal
• royal
• splendid
• stately

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

Among them: 1960s architecture drawings—and the imperial system. —Alex Christian, WIRED, 8 Dec. 2024

Scarpa’s allegory clarifies the political games-playing that few have heeded from Roman history or imperial mythology. —Armond White, National Review, 6 Dec. 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

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

Phrases Containing imperial

• imperial moth

Kids Definition

imperial

1 of 2 adjective

im·​pe·​ri·​al im-ˈpir-ē-əl 

: of, relating to, or fine enough for an empire or an emperor

imperially

-ē-ə-lē 

adverb

imperial

2 of 2 noun

: a pointed beard growing below the lower lip