Discretionary and Imperative

Opposite meaning words

Discretionary adjective - Subject to one's freedom of choice.

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Imperative is an antonym for discretionary.

Imperative adjective - Forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law.

Usage example: reporting signs of physical abuse is now an imperative duty for hospital and school personnel

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Discretionary is an antonym for imperative in topics: authoritative, necessary.

Nearby Words: imperious, imperatively

Cite this Source

Imperative and Discretionary. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/discretionary/imperative

Discretionary & Imperative. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/discretionary/imperative>.

Imperative or Discretionary. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/discretionary/imperative.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "discretionary" and "imperative" have occurred on timeline