A person of an independent spirit is inclined to resent an imperious manner in any one, especially in one whose superiority is not clearly recognized.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

bossy Tom told Mary that he didn't think John was bossy.
overbearing Tom can be overbearing, but he's a generous man.
dictatorial Bouteflika granted himself dictatorial powers.
domineering The domineering man pulls everyone into his vortex.
arrogant I don't need the validation of an arrogant person.
haughty That haughty girl thinks she's better than everyone.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
imperious		rising
bossy		rising
overbearing		rising
dictatorial		steady
domineering		rising
arrogant		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: vain¹
5 letters: proud¹, bossy²
6 letters: urgent², snooty², uppity³, lordly², sniffy²
7 letters: instant², pompous², haughty²
8 letters: absolute³, pressing², arrogant³, dogmatic³, insolent³, despotic³, prideful
9 letters: arbitrary⁴, masterful³, hubristic, tyrannous
10 letters: commanding³, imperative⁴, oppressive³, tyrannical⁴, autocratic⁴, disdainful³, swaggering³, peremptory⁴
11 letters: overbearing⁴, dictatorial⁵, domineering⁴, magisterial⁵, overweening
12 letters: presumptuous⁴, supercilious⁵
13 letters: authoritarian⁶, authoritative⁵

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (bossy² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: impérieux
Italiano: imperioso
Español: imperioso
Deutsch: herrisch