From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishimperiousim‧pe‧ri‧ous /ɪmˈpɪəriəs $ -ˈpɪr-/ adjective PROUDgiving orders and expecting to be obeyed, in a way that seems too proud She raised her hand in an imperious gesture. —imperiously adverb —imperiousness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
imperious• His manner was abrupt and imperious.• All the same, he appeared a pretty imperious figure on casual encounter.• The typical judge loves the rewards of office and tends to be imperious in asserting and defending them.• He seem bored now; and he blinked at Mitchell with imperious indifference.• It was not just the fact that this imperious man was doing this for her.• There is plenty of lore and legend from Whitehall and Westminster to buttress the case for an imperious premiership.• But Ellington, a duke with an imperious streak, never wanted Strayhorn to stray far from his empire.• I am stopped mid-anecdote by an imperious tap on my shoulder.Origin imperious (1500-1600) Latin imperiosus, from imperium; → IMPERIAL 