Essential vs. Imperative — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on September 24, 2023
"Essential" refers to something absolutely necessary or of utmost importance, while "Imperative" indicates an urgent command or necessity.
Difference Between Essential and Imperative
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"Essential" is a term that often describes a fundamental element or ingredient, something that cannot be done without. It implies that something is crucial to the completeness or functionality of a whole. Conversely, "Imperative" carries an urgency, suggesting that an action or response is not just necessary, but demanded or required in a given situation.
Both "Essential" and "Imperative" can be applied to a vast array of contexts, from the tangible to the intangible. For example, water might be deemed "Essential" for life, given its foundational role in supporting living organisms. On the other hand, it might be "Imperative" to drink water in a desert to avoid dehydration.
Language also offers a glimpse into the nuanced difference between these terms. In grammar, an "Imperative" sentence gives a direct command, like "Close the door!" Meanwhile, "Essential" can describe clauses that provide necessary information to a sentence. Their shared domain in language highlights their intertwined nature yet distinct applications.
While "Essential" often relates to a primary need or component, "Imperative" leans more towards a sense of immediacy or obligation. Something "Essential" is fundamentally required, whereas something "Imperative" presses on immediate attention or action.
Comparison Chart
Meaning
Absolutely necessary.
An urgent command or necessity.
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Usage in Grammar
Describes clauses that provide necessary information.
Sentence type that gives direct commands.
Tone
Importance due to fundamental nature.
Urgency and immediate demand.
Common Contexts
Ingredients, components, tools.
Instructions, urgent situations.
Relation to Time
Consistent necessity, not always time-bound.
Often suggests a time-sensitive requirement.
Compare with Definitions
Essential
Of utmost importance.
It is essential to meet the deadline.
Imperative
Of vital importance; crucial.
It is imperative to address the issue immediately.
Essential
Being a foundational or core component.
Vitamins are essential nutrients.
Imperative
Giving an authoritative command.
It's imperative that you attend the meeting.
Essential
Constituting or being part of the nature or essence of something; inherent
"In that era of general good will ... few Americans doubted the essential goodness of their society" (David Halberstam).
Imperative
A necessity or obligation.
Following the rules is imperative.
Essential
Fundamentally important or necessary
Essential ingredients.
Imperative
Expressing a firm request.
It is imperative that you listen carefully.
Essential
(Medicine) Of, relating to, or being a condition or a disease whose cause is unknown
Essential hypertension.
Imperative
An essential or urgent thing.
Safety is an imperative in the workplace.
Essential
(Biochemistry) Being a substance that is required for normal functioning but cannot be synthesized by the body and therefore must be included in the diet
Essential amino acids.
Imperative
Necessary or urgent
"It is imperative that we continue to move with speed to make housing more affordable" (Timothy Geithner).
Essential
Something fundamental.
Imperative
Expressing a command or plea; peremptory
Requests that grew more and more imperative.
Essential
Something necessary or indispensable.
Imperative
(Grammar) Of, relating to, or constituting the mood that expresses a command or request.
Essential
Necessary.
Imperative
A rule, principle, or need that requires or compels certain action
"the internal tension in [military] doctrine, between the desire to prescribe a common way of fighting and the imperative of adjusting particular military actions to circumstances" (Eliot A. Cohen).
Essential
Very important; of high importance.
Imperative
A command; an order.
Essential
(biology) Necessary for survival but not synthesized by the organism, thus needing to be ingested.
Imperative
The imperative mood.
Essential
Being in the basic form; showing its essence.
Don’t mind him being grumpy. That’s the essential Fred.
Imperative
A verb form of the imperative mood.
Essential
Really existing; existent.
Imperative
Essential; crucial; extremely important.
That you come here right now is imperative.
Essential
(geometry) Such that each complementary region is irreducible, the boundary of each complementary region is incompressible by disks and monogons in the complementary region, and no leaf is a sphere or a torus bounding a solid torus in the manifold.
Difference between 1 and 2
Imperative
(grammar) Of, or relating to the imperative mood.
Essential
(medicine) Idiopathic.
Essential blepharospasm
Imperative
(computing theory) Having semantics that incorporates mutable variables.
Essential
Having the nature of essence; not physical.
Imperative
Expressing a command; authoritatively or absolutely directive.
Imperative orders
Essential
A necessary ingredient.
Imperative
The grammatical mood expressing an order (see jussive). In English, the imperative form of a verb is the same as that of the bare infinitive.
The verbs in sentences like "Do it!" and "Say what you like!" are in the imperative.
Essential
A fundamental ingredient.
Imperative
A verb in imperative mood.
Essential
Belonging to the essence, or that which makes an object, or class of objects, what it is.
Majestic as the voice sometimes became, there was forever in it an essential character of plaintiveness.
Imperative
(countable) An essential action, a must: something which is imperative.
Visiting Berlin is an imperative.
Essential
Hence, really existing; existent.
Is it true, that thou art but a name,And no essential thing?
Imperative
Expressive of command; containing positive command; authoritatively or absolutely directive; commanding; authoritative; as, imperative orders.
The suit of kings are imperative.
Essential
Important in the highest degree; indispensable to the attainment of an object; indispensably necessary.
Judgment's more essential to a generalThan courage.
How to live? - that is the essential question for us.
Imperative
Not to be avoided or evaded; obligatory; binding; compulsory; as, an imperative duty or order.
Essential
Containing the essence or characteristic portion of a substance, as of a plant; highly rectified; pure; hence, unmixed; as, an essential oil.
Imperative
Expressive of commund, entreaty, advice, or exhortation; as, the imperative mood.
Essential
Necessary; indispensable; - said of those tones which constitute a chord, in distinction from ornamental or passing tones.
Imperative
The imperative mood; also, a verb in the imperative mood.
Essential
Idiopathic; independent of other diseases.
Imperative
A mood that expresses an intention to influence the listener's behavior
Essential
Existence; being.
Imperative
Some duty that is essential and urgent
Essential
That which is essential; first or constituent principle; as, the essentials of religion.
Imperative
Requiring attention or action;
As nuclear weapons proliferate, preventing war becomes imperative
Requests that grew more and more imperative
Essential
Anything indispensable;
Food and shelter are necessities of life
The essentials of the good life
Allow farmers to buy their requirements under favorable conditions
A place where the requisites of water fuel and fodder can be obtained
Imperative
Relating to verbs in the imperative mood
Essential
Absolutely necessary; vitally necessary;
Essential tools and materials
Funds essential to the completion of the project
An indispensable worker
Essential
Basic and fundamental;
The essential feature
Essential
Of the greatest importance;
The all-important subject of disarmament
Crucial information
In chess cool nerves are of the essence
Essential
Being or relating to or containing the essence of a plant etc;
Essential oil
Essential
Applying to essential legal principles and rules of right;
Substantive law
Essential
Absolutely required and not to be used up or sacrificed
Essential
Absolutely necessary.
Water is essential for life.
Essential
Fundamental to the nature of something.
Trust is an essential component of a relationship.
Essential
Cannot be omitted.
An engine is essential for a car to run.
Common Curiosities
Can "Imperative" be a type of sentence in grammar?
Yes, "Imperative" sentences give direct commands or requests.
Can "Imperative" also be a noun?
Yes, "Imperative" can refer to a vital importance or an authoritative command.
Is every "Essential" thing also "Imperative"?
Not necessarily. While all "Imperative" things might be deemed "Essential", not all "Essential" things carry an urgency.
Are vitamins "Essential"?
Yes, vitamins are often termed as essential nutrients for the body.
Can both terms be used in the context of tasks?
Yes. Tasks can be "Essential" (necessary) or "Imperative" (requiring immediate attention).
Is "Essential" always about physical items?
No, "Essential" can refer to both tangible items and intangible concepts.
Are there synonyms for "Essential"?
Yes, synonyms include "vital", "crucial", and "indispensable".
What are synonyms for "Imperative"?
Synonyms include "urgent", "necessary", and "pressing".
Is it "Imperative" to have "Essential" things?
Typically, yes. If something is deemed "Essential", it becomes "Imperative" to have or address it.
How do "Essential oils" relate to the term "Essential"?
"Essential oils" are so named because they capture the "Essential" essence or characteristic fragrance of the plant.
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Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
