impulsive

adjective

im·​pul·​sive im-ˈpəl-siv 

1

a

: arising from an impulse

an impulsive decision

b

: prone to act on impulse

an impulsive young man

2

: acting momentarily

3

: having the power of or actually driving or impelling

impulsively adverb

impulsiveness noun

impulsivity

im-ˌpəl-ˈsi-və-tē 

noun

Synonyms

• obsessive
• compulsive
• spontaneous

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web

Outfits that once felt aspirational quickly become irrelevant, leaving behind a cycle of impulsive purchases, lukewarm satisfaction, and the constant itch for reinvention. —Jailynn Taylor, Essence, 8 July 2025

Back in 1937, Winfield James, Harry Caldwell and Jimmy Pickard — three impulsive teens from Abilene, just out of high school and trying to avoid summer jobs — paddled a small canoe some 660 miles down the Colorado from Ballinger, Texas, to the Gulf of Mexico. —Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025

Icy yet impulsive Diana (Joanna Vanderham) blows up her relationship with Nancy over the satirical novel. —Judy Berman, Time, 27 June 2025

On June 23, the sun in Cancer will square Neptune in Aries, creating a fog and tug-of-war that pits our emotional needs against our wildest, most impulsive desires. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 23 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

see impulse entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for impulsive

• compulsive
• convulsive
• expulsive
• propulsive
• repulsive
• electroconvulsive

Kids Definition

impulsive

adjective

im·​pul·​sive im-ˈpəl-siv 

1

: acting or tending to act on impulse

2

: resulting from a sudden impulse

impulsively adverb

impulsiveness noun

Medical Definition

impulsive

adjective

im·​pul·​sive im-ˈpəl-siv 

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

impulsively adverb

impulsiveness noun

impulsivity

-ˌpəl-ˈsiv-ət-ē 

noun

plural impulsivities