Imposing

How to spell imposing

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce imposing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does imposing mean?

1. adjectiveGrand and impressive in size, manner, or appearance, often in a way that commands respect.
2. verbPresent participle of impose: forcing something such as a rule, tax, or burden onto someone.

Imposing in a sentence

• adjective

  The cathedral was an imposing structure that dominated the skyline.

• verb

  The council is imposing a new charge on every parking permit.

• adjective

  Her imposing presence in the boardroom silenced the chatter at once.

• verb

  By staying another week she felt she was imposing on her hosts.

Where does imposing come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb imponere, which combined in- meaning 'on' or 'upon' with ponere meaning 'to put' or 'to place', so the literal sense was 'to place upon'. From the idea of laying something upon a person came the meaning of laying a burden, duty, or penalty on them, which is why we still speak of imposing taxes or imposing rules. English took the verb 'impose' from French in the 1500s, where the French imposer had absorbed both the Latin sense and the influence of poser 'to place'. The present participle 'imposing' then drifted into a flattering adjective, describing something so grand in scale or appearance that it seems to assert itself upon the viewer. The same ponere root sits inside a crowd of familiar relatives such as 'position', 'compose', 'deposit', and 'opponent', and remembering that 'pos' means 'place' helps explain the single s in the middle of imposing.

How the word is built

• im- (in, on, from Latin in-)
• pos (place, from Latin ponere 'to put')
• -ing (adjective/participle suffix)