im|peri|ous / I mp I ə riəs/ ADJ If you describe someone as imperious , you mean that they have a proud manner and expect to be obeyed. [WRITTEN ] □ Her attitude is imperious at times. ● im|peri|ous|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Imperiously she beckoned me out of the room.
im|per|ish|able / I mpe r I ʃəb ə l/ ADJ Something that is imperishable cannot disappear or be destroyed. [LITERARY ] □ My memories are within me, imperishable.
im|per|ma|nent / I mpɜː r mənənt/ ADJ Something that is impermanent does not last for ever. [FORMAL ] □ We are reminded just how small and how impermanent we are. ● im|per|ma|nence / I mpɜː r mənəns/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] He was convinced of the impermanence of his work.
im|per|meable / I mpɜː r miəb ə l/ ADJ Something that is impermeable will not allow fluid to pass through it. [FORMAL ] □ The canoe is made from an impermeable wood.
im|per|son|al / I mpɜː r sən ə l/
1 ADJ If you describe a place, organization, or activity as impersonal , you mean that it is not very friendly and makes you feel unimportant because it involves or is used by a large number of people. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Before then many children were cared for in large impersonal orphanages.
2 ADJ If you describe someone's behaviour as impersonal , you mean that they do not show any emotion about the person they are dealing with. □ We must be as impersonal as a surgeon with his knife. ● im|per|son|al|ly ADV □ The doctor treated Ted gently but impersonally.
3 ADJ An impersonal room or statistic does not give any information about the character of the person to whom it belongs or relates. □ The rest of the room was neat and impersonal.
im|per|son|ate / I mpɜː r səne I t/ (impersonates , impersonating , impersonated ) VERB If someone impersonates a person, they pretend to be that person, either to deceive people or to make people laugh. □ [V n] He was returned to prison in 1977 for impersonating a police officer. ● im|per|sona|tion / I mpɜː r səne I ʃ ə n/ (impersonations ) N‑COUNT □ [+ of ] She did impersonations of his teachers.
im|per|sona|tor / I mpɜː r səne I tə r / (impersonators ) N‑COUNT An impersonator is a stage performer who impersonates famous people.
im|per|ti|nence / I mpɜː r t I nəns/ (impertinences ) N‑VAR If someone talks or behaves in a rather impolite and disrespectful way, you can call this behaviour impertinence or an impertinence . □ He was punished for his impertinence.
im|per|ti|nent / I mpɜː r t I nənt/ ADJ If someone talks or behaves in a rather impolite and disrespectful way, you can say that they are being impertinent . □ Would it be impertinent to ask where exactly you were?
im|per|turb|able / I mpə r tɜː r bəb ə l/ ADJ If you describe someone as imperturbable , you mean that they remain calm, even in disturbing or dangerous situations. [WRITTEN ] □ Thomas, of course, was cool and aloof and imperturbable.
im|per|vi|ous / I mpɜː r viəs/
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you are impervious to someone's actions, you are not affected or influenced by them. □ [+ to ] She seems almost impervious to the criticism from all sides.
2 ADJ Something that is impervious to water, heat, or a particular object is able to resist it or stop it passing through it. □ [+ to ] The floorcovering you select will need to be impervious to water.
im|petu|os|ity / I mpe tʃuɒ s I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT Impetuosity is the quality of being impetuous. □ With characteristic impetuosity, he announced he was leaving school.
im|petu|ous / I mpe tʃuəs/ ADJ If you describe someone as impetuous , you mean that they are likely to act quickly and suddenly without thinking or being careful. □ He was young and impetuous.
im|petus / I mp I təs/ N‑VAR Something that gives a process impetus or an impetus makes it happen or progress more quickly. □ This decision will give renewed impetus to the economic regeneration of east London.
im|pinge / I mp I ndʒ/ (impinges , impinging , impinged ) VERB Something that impinges on you affects you to some extent. [FORMAL ] □ [V + on/upon ] …the cuts in defence spending that have impinged on two of the region's largest employers.
im|pi|ous / I mpiəs/ ADJ If you describe someone as impious , you mean that they show a lack of respect for religious things. [FORMAL ]
imp|ish / I mp I ʃ/ ADJ If you describe someone or their behaviour as impish , you mean that they are rather disrespectful or naughty in a playful way. □ Gillespie is well known for his impish sense of humour. ● imp|ish|ly ADV □ He smiled at me impishly.
im|plac|able / I mplæ kəb ə l/ ADJ If you say that someone is implacable , you mean that they have very strong feelings of hostility or disapproval which nobody can change. □ …the threat of invasion by a ruthless and implacable enemy. ● im|plac|ably ADV [usu ADV -ed/adj, oft ADV after v] □ His union was implacably opposed to the privatization of the company.
im|plant (implants , implanting , implanted ) The verb is pronounced / I mplɑː nt, -plæ nt/. The noun is pronounced / I mplɑːnt, -plænt/. 1 VERB To implant something into a person's body means to put it there, usually by means of a medical operation. □ [V n adv/prep] Two days later, they implanted the fertilized eggs back inside me. □ [V -ed] …a surgically implanted birth-control device. ● im|plan|ta|tion / I mplɑːnte I ʃ ə n, -plæn-/ N‑UNCOUNT □ The embryos were tested to determine their sex prior to implantation.