impulsive

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adjective im·pul·sive \ im-ˈpəl-siv \

Definition of impulsive

1 :having the power of or actually driving or impelling

2 a :arising from an impulse

an impulsive decision

b :prone to act on impulse

an impulsive young man

3 :acting momentarily

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impulsively

adverb

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impulsiveness

noun

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impulsivity

play \im-ˌpəl-ˈsi-və-tē\ noun

See impulsive defined for English-language learners

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Examples of impulsive in a Sentence

I couldn't make out exactly what had happened, though I could guess how it started—the two of them talking, kidding around when Mrs. Ramsey came down to the library basement to file some periodicals, an impulsive kiss in the stacks … —Tobias Wolff, Old School, 2003
There was an odd nobility, a knight-errant quality, about Alan—in his willingness to suffer for the sake of life itself, in his tendency to view himself under harsher light than he would turn on others, in his impulsive generosity. —Tracy Kidder, Home Town, 1999
So speaks Maude Bailey, the celibate feminist scholar heroine of A. S. Byatt's fifth novel, as, in an impulsive collusion with a male scholar she scarcely knows, she runs off to Brittany. —Joyce Carol Oates, Vogue, November 1990
She's impulsive and often does things that she later regrets.
He needs to learn to control his impulsive behavior.
She made an impulsive decision to quit her job.

Recent Examples of impulsive from the Web

This period may have felt rather uncomfortable for fiery Rams, who prefer making impulsive decisions and employing brute force whenever possible.

— aliza kelly faragher, Allure, "What This Week's Horoscope Means for You," 28 Aug. 2017
Trump is old and impulsive, with no experience in foreign affairs.

— jon talton, The Seattle Times, "Events in Asia put state’s trading ties at risk," 25 Aug. 2017
Even many Republican members of Congress are growing restive about Mr. Trump’s impulsive tweets and threats and breaking of political norms.

— peter grier, The Christian Science Monitor, "Can Congress keep Robert Mueller from being fired?," 8 Aug. 2017
Many elites consider Trump too ignorant, lazy, impulsive, and bigoted for the job.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "The Alt-Right and Glenn Greenwald Versus H.R. McMaster," 8 Aug. 2017
Someone else emerges—angry, frightened, impulsive, lost in a deep and infernal fog.

— charles p. pierce, SI.com, "Head Games: The Moral Calculus of Football and CTE," 2 Aug. 2017
But when your child has ADHD, a disorder characterized by high energy, a lack of concentration, and impulsive behavior, a trip to the supermarket can be exasperating.

— julia naftulin, Health.com, "A Bystander Had the Perfect Response to This Preschooler's ADHD Tantrum," 1 Aug. 2017
But the Constitution does not provide for the removal of a President for impulsive, ignorant incompetence.

— monique judge, The Root, "#Impeachment: 2 Democratic Congressmen Take 1st Step to Get Donald Trump Out of Office," 12 July 2017
That feeling of attacking back harder if attacked is impulsive retaliation, according to Willard.

— kelly wallace, CNN, "Would Trump's tweets get him suspended if he were in school?," 1 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'impulsive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of impulsive

see ²impulse

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First Known Use: 15th century

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impulsive Synonyms

Synonyms

besetting, driven, compulsive, obsessional, obsessive

Related Words

irrepressible, uncontrollable; automatic, instinctive, involuntary, knee-jerk, reflex, spontaneous; conditioned, mechanical; unconscious, unthinking, unwitting; capricious, unpredictable, whimsical

Near Antonyms

unforced, voluntary, willful (or wilful); controllable, manageable, resistible

Synonym Discussion of impulsive

spontaneous, impulsive, instinctive, automatic, mechanical mean acting or activated without deliberation. spontaneous implies lack of prompting and connotes naturalness.

- a spontaneous burst of applause

impulsive implies acting under stress of emotion or spirit of the moment.

- impulsive acts of violence

instinctive stresses action involving neither judgment nor will.

- blinking is an instinctive reaction

automatic implies action engaging neither the mind nor the emotions and connotes a predictable response.

- his denial was automatic

mechanical stresses the lifeless, often perfunctory character of the response.

- a mechanical teaching method

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

IMPULSIVE Defined for English Language Learners

impulsive

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adjective

Definition of impulsive for English Language Learners

: doing things or tending to do things suddenly and without careful thought : acting or tending to act on impulse
: done suddenly and without planning : resulting from a sudden impulse

IMPULSIVE Defined for Kids

impulsive

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adjective im·pul·sive \ im-ˈpəl-siv \

Definition of impulsive for Students

1 :acting or tending to act suddenly and without careful thought He's impulsive and does things he regrets.

2 :resulting from a sudden impulse

an impulsive decision

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impulsively

adverb

Medical Dictionary

impulsive

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adjective im·pul·sive \ im-ˈpəl-siv \

medical Definition of impulsive

1 :having the power of or actually driving or impelling

2 :actuated by or prone to act on impulse

impulsive behavior

3 :acting momentarily

brief impulsive auditory stimuli

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impulsively

adverb

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impulsiveness

noun

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impulsivity

play \-ˌpəl-ˈsiv-ət-ē\ noun plural -ties

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Origin and Etymology of impulsive

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