Definition of "imperative" []

• Expressing a command or plea; peremptory: requests that grew more and more imperative. (adjective)
• Having the power or authority to command or control. (adjective)
• Grammar Of, relating to, or constituting the mood that expresses a command or request. (adjective)
• Impossible to deter or evade; pressing: imperative needs. See Synonyms at urgent. (adjective)
• A command; an order. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In traditional tragedy, these are prescriptives; the imperative is absolute -- must, not should."
• "The long-term imperative is to slow and reverse the spiraling national debt."
• "The short-term imperative is to create jobs and grow the economy."