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Definition of "peremptory" [per•emp•to•ry]

  • Putting an end to all debate or action: a peremptory decree. (adjective)
  • Not allowing contradiction or refusal; imperative: The officer issued peremptory commands. (adjective)
  • Having the nature of or expressing a command; urgent: The teacher spoke in a peremptory tone. (adjective)
  • Offensively self-assured; dictatorial: a swaggering, peremptory manner. (adjective)

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.

Use "peremptory" in a sentence
  • "The word peremptory means “precluding a right to debate;” the dismissals are called peremptory challenges because the opposing attorney normally cannot challenge them."
  • "But, you say, The exercise of that peremptory is not based on any impermissible ground (i.e., race, gender etc.)"
  • "The exercise of that peremptory is not based on any impermissible ground (i.e., race, gender etc.)"