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as in capriciousness
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2
as in impulsiveness
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Recent Examples of impetuosity
What few at the time foresaw was that the region could be delivered to China through Trump’s sheer impetuosity, or his inability to think before posting.
—
Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2025
Two centuries later, the Greek historian Polybius contrasted Roman discipline, order, and rationality with Celtic impetuosity, chaos, and passion on the battlefield.
—Michele Gelfand, Foreign Affairs, 22 June 2021
His sacred vows didn’t stop Kelly from displaying the impetuosity that brands this city’s fans.
—Frank Fitzpatrick, Philly.com, 14 Apr. 2018
Regardless of whether fate led these men to board the train, Eastwood suggests that what drove them to act when faced with a crisis was their youthful impetuosity.
—Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader, 9 Feb. 2018
Meeting his current expedition partner, Børge Ousland, required another stroke of youthful impetuosity.
—Kelly Bastone, Outside Online, 8 Nov. 2017
Not to give too much away, but Alice’s romantic impetuosity in her youth has fateful consequences that only a show as sentimentally over the top as this could happily resolve.
—Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 23 Oct. 2017
This president combines qualities of Shakespeare’s worst kings: the vanity of Lear, the impetuosity of Richard II, the maliciousness of Richard III.
—Paula Marantz Cohen, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2017
But, then again, that’s the sort of recipe favored by Donald Trump, a president who acts with impetuosity and has little time for strategy.
—Matt Giles, Longreads, 31 July 2017
Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2025
Two centuries later, the Greek historian Polybius contrasted Roman discipline, order, and rationality with Celtic impetuosity, chaos, and passion on the battlefield.
—Michele Gelfand, Foreign Affairs, 22 June 2021
His sacred vows didn’t stop Kelly from displaying the impetuosity that brands this city’s fans.
—Frank Fitzpatrick, Philly.com, 14 Apr. 2018
Regardless of whether fate led these men to board the train, Eastwood suggests that what drove them to act when faced with a crisis was their youthful impetuosity.
—Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader, 9 Feb. 2018
Meeting his current expedition partner, Børge Ousland, required another stroke of youthful impetuosity.
—Kelly Bastone, Outside Online, 8 Nov. 2017
Not to give too much away, but Alice’s romantic impetuosity in her youth has fateful consequences that only a show as sentimentally over the top as this could happily resolve.
—Charles McNulty, latimes.com, 23 Oct. 2017
This president combines qualities of Shakespeare’s worst kings: the vanity of Lear, the impetuosity of Richard II, the maliciousness of Richard III.
—Paula Marantz Cohen, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2017
But, then again, that’s the sort of recipe favored by Donald Trump, a president who acts with impetuosity and has little time for strategy.
—Matt Giles, Longreads, 31 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impetuosity
Noun
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At other times, the result can be both immediate and devastating, as seen in many traffic accidents caused by impatience, inattentiveness, or rashness.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
It’s characterized by patterns of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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Going back to the basics—and sticking with them—can help reduce anxiety and the desire to act out of impulsivity.—
Christopher Steward,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The caprice of the wind was the only reason there was evidence to recover in the first place.—
Henry Leutwyler Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
-
Fear of political caprice masquerading as strategy, of a trade war metastasizing into financial contagion, and of a world where traditional safe havens—currencies, institutions, alliances—no longer offer much safety at all.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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This rapidity of implementation means that attorneys cannot wait to see how things might develop but must start preparing, or at least learning about it, now.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
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The rapidity and the terseness of the onscreen action leaps from scene to scene, from event to event, from one salient point to the next, with nothing incidental in between, nothing revealing anything besides what directly elucidates the story as Polanski chooses to tell it.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Nearly four decades after its release, Labyrinth continues to captivate not just because of its dazzling visuals or iconic performances, but because of the emotional truths buried beneath its whimsy and shadows.—
Logan Karlie
September 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Earthy greens, rich browns, muted neutrals, and deep blues let a cabin harmonize with its surroundings, while an unexpected accent color, such as a rust red or golden yellow, introduces a touch of fairytale-esque whimsy.—
Lauren Jones,
Southern Living,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Given the vagaries of pitching at altitude at Coors Field, signing an accomplished veteran pitcher via free agency is unlikely.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
31 Aug. 2025
-
Drahi and his team wouldn’t be the first, or the last, corporate titans to trip and stumble in the vagaries of the art market.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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These were not just silly geographical whims, Jessica Winter pointed out at the time.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
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The Fed’s independence has been central to the United States’ role as the globe’s preeminent economic power; investors worldwide believe the central bank won’t act on a president’s whims.—
Jackie Calmes,
Mercury News,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
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DoBetterDNVR seeks to hold city government accountable for enabling lawless behavior like vagrancy, public drug use, urban camping, and vandalism by exposing and posting it, a laudable aim, but its means are less than ethical.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
19 Aug. 2025
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The rise in vagrancy, open drug use, aggressive panhandling, indecent exposure and public health hazards have made downtown residents feel increasingly unsafe in their own city.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impetuosity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impetuosity. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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