Imposed

Imposed is the past participle of impose, a verb meaning to place something on someone or something by authority, force, or necessity. It often refers to actions that require acceptance or compliance, such as rules, taxes, sanctions, duties, penalties, or obligations that are declared and enforced by an authority.

As a transitive verb, imposed is used to describe actions that cause a burden or requirement to be accepted. For example, a government may impose a tax, a school may impose a deadline, or a court may impose a sentence. The noun form, imposition, refers to the act of imposing or the thing that is imposed. The word can also function as an adjective in phrases like imposed regulations or imposed duties, though more common variants include self-imposed or externally imposed.

Imposed typically conveys an external source of authority or control. It implies that the recipient has limited choice or that the obligation arises from rules, laws, or policies rather than personal preference. The term is frequently used in discussions of governance, public policy, law, economics, and organizational management, where decisions by authorities or institutions create obligations for individuals or other entities.

In discourse, imposed measures may be evaluated in terms of necessity, fairness, effectiveness, or impact on affected parties. Critics may describe certain policies as imposing burdens without consent, while supporters may emphasize the purpose or benefits achieved by the imposition. The concept contrasts with voluntary adoption or self-imposed restrictions, which arise without external compulsion.

Etymology traces imposed to the Latin imponere, meaning to place on.