IMPULSES Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

impulses

noun

plural of impulse

as in incentives

something that arouses action or activity the new auto factory was just the impulse that the local economy needed

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as in tendencies

a habitual attraction to some activity or thing the universal, fundamental impulse of self-preservation

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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 impulses After all, there’s a perverse thrill in watching characters act on selfish impulses, torment a goody-two-shoes, and go a little mad with power. — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026 Trump has continued to demand lower rates, leading some to infer Warsh is holding off raising rates until after the November midterm election to unleash his hawkish impulses. — Matt Peterson, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 Executive functioning refers to the mental skills people use to plan, organize, focus, decide, solve problems, regulate emotions and impulses, and complete multi-step activities. — Jose Bolaños, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026 Electrical impulses carry our messages across those routes, with synapses serving as intersections, and chemical signals helping control the flow of traffic. — Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 Initially, diplomats assigned to the region sought to counter Bukele’s growing influence by sharply denouncing his anti-democratic impulses. — Daniel Castro, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2026 Sigmund Freud wrote that dreams were a kind of acting-out of repressed impulses. — Veronique Greenwood, Time, 18 Aug. 2026 In that collision of impulses, one name stands above the rest. — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 17 Aug. 2026 Angels doesn’t feel architectural in nearly the same way, but the strange impulses and movements of the book are really appealing. — Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impulses

Noun

Any federal tax credit worth passing should stack automatically on top of state incentives and apply the same regardless of whether a production files from Atlanta, Shreveport, or Burbank.

— Sam Roseme, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
In July, California’s Public Utilities Commission approved new incentives of up to $20,300 for ride-hailing app drivers to buy or lease new zero-emission vehicles, and often now, ride hailers can choose to be picked up by an EV on the apps.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of incentives

Noun

Clerc’s rationale was centered on the Houthis recent tendencies to mainly target Saudi Arabian vessels passing through the strait.

— Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
The whole thing plays like something concocted by an 8th grader sitting in the back of biology class and doodling movie ideas in his notebook, offering more proof that Besson has never quite risen above the juvenile tendencies of his early years.

— Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of tendencies

Noun

Many folks send encouragements toward OP mom and her son, while others put heat on the other parents for sexualizing their kids’ friendship.

— DeVonne Goode, Parents, 26 July 2026
All through the park, competitors and onlookers hit vapes and shout tips and encouragements into trees.

— Calin Van Paris, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026

Definition of encouragements

Noun

Putin will eventually leave office, whether by death, illness, or—against all observable inclinations—stepping aside.

— Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026
People with gene variants that affect these inclinations may also be at a higher risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes, researchers found.

— Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 28 July 2026

Definition of inclinations

Noun

His attorneys at the public defender’s office have argued he should be released on bail because the charges against him, and his alleged motivations, were aimed at property, not against people.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
As their sherpa, Brittney conveys a convincing authority as John, even when his motivations don’t always seem honest.

— Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of motivations

Noun

For this class, the premise is that your purpose in life lies to the intersection of your values, your aptitudes and your interests.

— Dana Taylor, USA Today, 6 May 2026
This model reflects Japan’s long-standing corporate culture, which prioritizes new hires for their general potential—their aptitudes and aspirations, as opposed to their current skill sets or university majors—and then trains them on the job.

— GRACIA LIU-FARRER, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2025

Definition of aptitudes

Noun

The caucus will join the hundreds of other such groups centered around shared affinities and interests that exist in Congress.

— Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
As opposed to infantile regression, the oceanic feeling can also be understood as a means of recapturing a repressed sense of relation, connection, affinities.

— George Baker, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of affinities

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“Impulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impulses. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of impulses

noun

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