Imperious means commanding and domineering in a way that expects immediate obedience, like a bossy person who acts superior to everyone around them. An imperious tone of voice says, “Do what I say right now because I'm more important than you.”

Picture a classroom where one student speaks to others in an imperious manner, snapping their fingers and ordering people around as if they were servants. Or imagine a coach who issues imperious commands without explaining anything, expecting players to jump at every word. This behavior usually makes people resentful rather than respectful.

An imperious gesture might be waving your hand dismissively at someone, as if their thoughts don't matter.

Imperious differs from simply being confident or authoritative. A good teacher can be firm and direct without being imperious. What makes someone imperious is that attitude of superiority, that expectation of automatic obedience without earning respect. When someone acts in an imperious way, they're usually showing disrespect for others, and they often discover that ordering people around doesn't actually make them a leader.