impulsive

adjective

im·pul·sive | \ im-ˈpəl-siv

Definition of impulsive

1 : having the power of or actually driving or impelling

2a : arising from an impulse an impulsive decision

b : prone to act on impulse an impulsive young man

3 : acting momentarily

Other Words from impulsive Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about impulsive

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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

Adults with the disorder may feel impulsive or have a hard time sitting still and completing tasks. — Andrea K. Mcdaniels, baltimoresun.com, "Children aren't the only ones with ADHD; adults get it as well," 17 May 2018 Immortalized in an 1880 portrait by Renoir, Irène—lithe and delicate, but impulsive—was the eldest daughter of one of Paris's wealthiest Jewish financiers, Louis Cahen d'Anvers, an early principal of the bank that later became Paribas. — James Mcauley, Town & Country, "A Secret Paris Museum and an Aristocratic Family Decimated by the Holocaust," 9 Feb. 2017 Meanwhile, some investment firms took to social media to encourage people not to make any impulsive moves. — Akane Otani, WSJ, "Stock Market Whiplash Rattles Investors," 23 Oct. 2018 That’s right, Cancer darling: No impulsive haircuts, last-minute renovations, or expensive furniture purchases. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "What October's Cancer Horoscope Means for You," 30 Sep. 2018

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.