Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Putting an end to all debate or action: a peremptory decree.
- adj. Not allowing contradiction or refusal; imperative: The officer issued peremptory commands.
- adj. Having the nature of or expressing a command; urgent: The teacher spoke in a peremptory tone.
- adj. Offensively self-assured; dictatorial: a swaggering, peremptory manner.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- That precludes or does not admit of debate, question, or expostulation; hence, express; authoritative; positive; absolute: as, a, peremptory command or call.
- In law, final; determinate; absolute and unconditional: as, a peremptory action or exception.
- Fully resolved; resolute; determined; positive in opinion or judgment; dogmatic: said of persons.
- Positively settled upon; that positively must be done, etc.
- Synonyms and Authoritative, Dogmatic, etc. See magisterial.
- Express, absolute, imperative, categorical.
- n. A peremptory order.
- Unquestionably; positively.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Precluding debate or expostulation; not admitting of question or appeal; positive; absolute; decisive; conclusive; final.
- adj. Positive in opinion or judgment; decided; dictatorial; dogmatical.
- adj. Poetic Firmly determined; unawed.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. not allowing contradiction or refusal
- adj. putting an end to all debate or action
- adj. offensively self-assured or given to exercising usually unwarranted power
Etymologies
- From Anglo-Norman peremptorie, parentorie et al. (Modern French péremptoire), and its source, Latin peremptōrius ("deadly; decisive"), from perimō. (Wiktionary)
- Latin peremptōrius, from peremptus, past participle of perimere, to take away : per-, per- + emere, to obtain; see em- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The word peremptory means “precluding a right to debate;” the dismissals are called peremptory challenges because the opposing attorney normally cannot challenge them.”
The Volokh Conspiracy » Peremptory Challenges and Unanimous Juries:
“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.)”
“The problem is that many will jump to the conclusion that the disparity in peremptory strikes by race is due to racial bias on the part of prosecutors.”
“In a trial, each side has a limited number of opportunities to rule out potential jurors without stating a reason for it—these are called peremptory challenges.”
“Nevertheless Ishmael noticed that the ship's captain looked anxious and gave his orders in short, peremptory tones.”
“(The word peremptory means “precluding a right to debate;” the dismissals are called peremptory challenges because the opposing attorney normally cannot challenge them.) Olin begins by recounting his experience as a dismissed juror in a criminal case in Newark, NJ.”
The Volokh Conspiracy » Peremptory Challenges and Unanimous Juries:
“And the reason is, the defense gets 25 challenges in New York and the prosecution gets 25 challenges, what are called peremptory challenges.”
“All aboard!" called a peremptory voice from somewhere on deck.”
“Behind them Caleb and Allison had lost still more ground while the latter paused to speak a peremptory word in the ear of”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘peremptory’.
-
GRE 2014
abate, abdicate, abase, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
-
501
Classic
mete, ire, bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado, toil, onus, aberration, abstruse, anomaly and 401 more...
-
GRE Barron's 800
zealot, wistful, welter, wary, whimsical, warranted, vortex, vivisection, volatile, vitiate, viscous, visage and 787 more...
-
501
Classic
abhor, mirth, obtuse, iota, vex, irk, teem, pith, moot, mete, ire, bane and 401 more...
-
2nd part
prelude, ample, escalate, prototype, accession, acquisition, archives, zealot, indict, verdict, intimidating, timid and 454 more...
-
501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
-
501
Classic
bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado, toil, onus, aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august and 401 more...
-
against nature
perambulator, dross, elephantine, unctuous, saccharine, sacerdotal, torrefaction, heliotrope, prostration, peremptory, lava grey, mouse grey and 3 more...
-
DAY4_01/07/2013
miserly, frugal, prevaricate, variance, histrionic, demur, demure, beatific, perfunctory, preemptive, peremptory, indigent and 16 more...
-
gre2
aberrant, aberration, aboveboard, abrasive, abstemious, acme, admonish, affable, affluent, alacrity, allegory, alleviate and 1522 more...
-
Extrude
quondam, tchotchke, lugubrious, inspissated, fissiparous, vituperation, absolutisation, artisanal, funicular, sacerdotal, abstruse, oviparious and 38 more...
-
MyList
peter out, fraying, jump on the bandw..., indignation, eclectic, hung up, salutary, hoary, warped, glaring, blue-collar, concomitant and 105 more...
-
Faves
nepenthe, cupidity, anodyne, obdurate, doleful, obsolescent, quale, piquant, velleity, inchoate, disport, facile and 366 more...
-
Vocabulary
Words I come across while reading.
talus, echelon, onanistic, cabochon, avocation, charnel, moue, portentous, prolixity, astringent, hoary, patina and 165 more...
-
GRE
anomaly, assuage, enigma, equivocal, erudite, fervid, placate, lucid, opaque, precipitate, prodigal, zeal and 113 more...
-
newGRE
mostly from magoosh
imbue, verge on, nonchalant, deliberate, timorous, futile, provisional, dissect, checked, tinged, alluring, visionary and 1046 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for peremptory.
RevBrently From p. 15 of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby: "Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart." Sep 29, 2012