imperial
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Befitting or belonging to an emperor or empress.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihmpihreeuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪmˈpɪɹiəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Befitting or belonging to an emperor or empress
Related to an empire, emperor, or empress.
in particularof alcohol
Stronger than typical. (Derived from the name of Russian Imperial stout, a strong dark beer.)
Very grand or fine.
Alternative letter-case form of imperial ("of alcohol: stronger").
Of special, superior, or unusual size or excellence.
noun
A bottle of wine (usually Bordeaux) containing 6 liters of fluid, eight times the volume of a standard bottle.
A tuft of hair on the lower lip (so called from its use by Napoleon III).
A large Bordeaux wine bottle with the capacity of about 6 liters, equivalent to 8 standard bottles.
countableuncountable
A variety of green tea.
A kind of dome, as in Moorish buildings.
A crown imperial.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Befitting or belonging to an emperor or empress
Used this way, imperial is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use imperial
- “The country has a long history of an imperial ruling family.”
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Hybrid from Ipomoea nil.
A British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 4 quarts or 4.545 liters.
Largest known mammoth.
A decree issued by a sovereign ruler.
A unit of measure for capacity officially adopted in the British Imperial System.
A small tufted beard worn by Emperor Napoleon III.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
The domain ruled by an emperor or empress.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: befitting or belonging to an emperor or empress
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “imperial” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.