impetuosity

noun

Definition of impetuositynext
1
as in capriciousness

Related Words

Relevance
2
as in impulsiveness

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of impetuosity 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impetuosity
  1. capriciousness
  2. impulsiveness
  3. caprice
  4. rashness
  5. whimsy
  6. impetuousness
  7. vagary
  8. impulsivity
Noun
  • Trump’s credibility has been undercut by his own capriciousness.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Her capriciousness leads her into an affair with a frustrated professor, Mark (Michael Angarano), who compliments her writing and composes pretentious, backhandedly insulting poems about their not-quite-love.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
Definition of capriciousness
Noun
  • His earlier films offer the immediacy of real-time creation, of something not unfinished but unreworked, thrust onto the screen with an impulsiveness that’s balanced by the careful conception behind it.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Yakkity’s impulsiveness and wisecracking jokes provide the laughs, while Keo’s rivalry with his father (and his crush on Lemony) ground the show with genuine emotional dynamics.
    — Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 20 June 2026
Definition of impulsiveness
Noun
  • And having survived centuries of royal caprice, and at least one arson attack, the pavilion is now a museum, open to the masses.
    — Lauren Frayer, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Festivals, with their many equity pipers to pay, contend with further caprices.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of caprice
Noun
  • And yet, Washington responded to Genet not with rashness and bravado but with restraint made public law.
    — Maurizio Valsania, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2026
  • His audacity and her rashness might surprise some.
    — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Definition of rashness
Noun
  • He was known for his sense of whimsy, childlike wonder, and a love of the natural world—many of his preferred designs were based on flora and fauna and yielded fantastical images like mermaids, butterflies, and much more.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Other Ways to Make Disney Magic Disney is a magical place—full of whimsy, wonder, and excitement.
    — Kimberly Zapata, Parents, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of whimsy
Noun
  • Yeah, of course, the impetuousness and the force that young people have has to be expressed some way.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of impetuousness
Noun
  • Some strategists think the market is getting ahead of itself — that yields now essentially are pricing in stronger economic growth and are overly sensitive to the vagaries of oil prices amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026
  • There is really no way to talk about the film unless one falls back on wispy vagaries and pointed allusions to cinematic precedents, or just explaining the act one set-up and then stopping with the warning that things get really weird thereafter.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of vagary
Noun
  • Many of the condition’s early signs, such as depression or impulsivity, can stem from other factors, and some experts worry about making premature diagnoses.
    — Alexandra Pattillo, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Emphasize Safety Often, the biggest safety issue teens face is their impulsivity.
    — Sarah Vanbuskirk, Parents, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of impulsivity

Browse Nearby Words

impetuosities
impetuosity
impetuous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Impetuosity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impetuosity. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All