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If you acquiesce to something, you allow it to happen by doing what someone wants without putting up a struggle or voicing your own concerns.
If you are amenable to doing something, you willingly accept it without arguing.
If you describe a decision, rule, or plan as arbitrary, you think that it was decided without any thought, standard, or system to guide it; therefore, it can seem unfair.
An authoritarian system, such as a government or military school, demands that people obey all orders without question.
An autocratic person rules with complete power; consequently, they make decisions and give orders to people without asking them for their opinion or advice.
If you describe a person’s behavior as brazen, you mean that they are not embarrassed by anything they do—they simply don’t care what other people think about them.
A callous person’s attitude is cruel, uncaring, and shows no concern for others whatsoever.
Someone cedes land or power to someone else by giving it to them, often because of political or military pressure.
When people condescend, they behave in ways that show that they are supposedly more important or intelligent than other people.
If you describe someone, usually a young woman, as demure, you mean that she is quiet, shy, and always behaves modestly.
A despot is a leader who has a lot of power and uses it in a cruel and unreasonable way.
An animal or person that is docile is not aggressive; rather, they are well-behaved, quiet, and easy to control.
Someone is being dogmatic when they express opinions in an assertive and often overly self-important manner.
When you make an emphatic declaration, you are insistent and absolute about it.
An exigent situation is urgent and demands a lot of attention, often in ways that are expensive in time, cost, and effort.
To fawn over someone is to be extremely nice to them in an insincere way because you want them to like you or give you something.
Someone who is feckless is incompetent and lacks the determination or skill to achieve much of anything at all in life.
When it is imperative that something be done, it is absolutely necessary or very important that it be accomplished.
Someone who is incorrigible has bad habits or does bad things and is unlikely to ever change; this word is often used in a humorous way.
An inveterate person is always doing a particular thing, especially something questionable—and they are not likely to stop doing it.
If you describe someone as Machiavellian, you disapprove of him because he uses clever tricks and other dishonest methods to achieve his aims, especially in politics.
Someone who is malleable is easily influenced or controlled by other people.
Someone who is obdurate is stubborn, unreasonable, or uncontrollable; hence, they simply refuse to change their behavior, actions, or beliefs to fit any situation whatsoever.
Obeisance is respect and obedience shown to someone or something, expressed by bowing or some other humble gesture.
If someone is being obsequious, they are trying so hard to please someone that they lack sincerity in their actions towards that person.
If someone patronizes you, they talk or behave in a way that seems friendly; nevertheless, they also act as if they were more intelligent or important than you are.
A person who is plastic can be easily influenced and molded by others.
A pliant person can be easily influenced or controlled by others.
A potentate is a ruler who has great power over people.
Someone’s sardonic smile, expression, or comment shows a lack of respect for what someone else has said or done; this occurs because the former thinks they are too important to consider or discuss such a supposedly trivial matter of the latter.
If you say that someone is servile, you don’t respect them because they are too obedient, too agreeable, and too willing to do anything for another person.
If you are subservient, you are too eager and willing to do what other people want and often put your own wishes aside.
If you behave in a supercilious way, you act as if you were more important or better than everyone else.
Totalitarianism is the political concept or principle that those in power should have complete control and all citizens should totally subject themselves to the state.
When you usurp someone else’s power, position, or role, you take it from them although you do not have the right to do so.
In the Middle Ages, a vassal was a worker who served a lord in exchange for land to live upon; today you are a vassal if you serve another and are largely controlled by them.
Adj.
imperious
im-PEER-ee-uhs
Context
My great-aunt Miriam commands the attention of the entire family with her imperious or proud conduct. When she enters a room, you would think that she is a high-handed queen imperiously greeting her lowly subjects. Aunt Miriam dictates who will speak at the dinner table and, in an imperious or bossy fashion, orders people to be quiet once she thinks they have said enough. Once, when I tried to politely disagree with her, she imperiously raised a single terrible eyebrow at me that frightened me into falling silent.
Quiz:Try again!
How might an imperious person act?
They would likely be obsessed with keeping their home clean and free from germs.
They would likely boss others around in a way that shows they think they are better than everyone else.
They would likely prefer to be alone and regularly avoid going places that have large crowds.
Serious Wimp I really don't understand how that weak wimp can seriously think that I'll do what he commands me to do; really, an imperious wimp! How ridiculous and contradictory seems a seriousimperious wimp!
Examples
On one hand, Louis Napoleon/Napoleon III created the first nationwide rail network, launched steamship lines and a powerful navy, introduced a new banking sector, old age pensions, and free trade agreements. . . . On the other hand, he was an imperious leader whose authoritarianism [led] to censorship and jailing of political and social opponents.
—
Houston Press
Martínez’s carefully correct Carmen was noticed for her musicality, her thorough professionalism, rather than for a daring allure. She has a command onstage; indeed, she seemed to control everyone around her like an imperious leader . . . .
—
Los Angeles Times
The event is also emblematic of a philosophical shift at Disney. In previous decades the company’s point of view was imperious: we are the great and powerful Disney, and we will tell families how best to spend their leisure time.
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The New York Times
[The 1990 movie adaptation of Roald Dahl’s_The Witches_] starred Anjelica Huston in one of her most delicious performances: As the all-powerful Grand High Witch, she was vampy, imperious and diabolically unhinged.
—
NPR
An imperious person “possesses the nature of commanding or providing leadership.”
Word Theater
YouTube: Asterix at the Olympic Games Teaser An imperious Brutus demands the "real" tortoise formation.
The panel shows a small video clip of either the word in actual use or a scene that represents the meaning of a word. This not only breaks up the monotony of studying words but also provides another avenue to strengthen word meaning. Enjoy!