Synonyms of impulses

impulses

noun

plural of impulse

1

as in incentives

something that arouses action or activity

the new auto factory was just the impulse that the local economy needed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• incentives
• encouragements
• motivations
• impetuses
• stimuli
• stimulants
• provocations
• momenta
• catalysts
• reasons
• yeasts
• incitements
• fuels
• spurs
• instigations
• goads
• inducements
• shots in the arm
• causes
• considerations
• motives
• boosts
• invitations
• incitations
• antecedents
• sparks
• grounds
• occasions
• catalyzers

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• disincentives
• counterincentives

2

as in tendencies

a habitual attraction to some activity or thing

the universal, fundamental impulse of self-preservation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tendencies
• inclinations
• aptitudes
• affinities
• affections
• devices
• proclivities
• biases
• predilections
• predispositions
• leanings
• appetites
• propensities
• dispositions
• talents
• addictions
• bones
• preferences
• bents
• prejudices
• penchants
• partialities
• gifts
• habitudes
• knacks
• geniuses
• habits
• turns
• tastes
• faculties
• endowments
• patterns
• fancies
• flairs
• favors
• practices
• customs
• likes
• partisanships
• likings
• eccentricities
• idiosyncrasies
• specialties
• conventions
• specialities
• peculiarities
• singularities
• routines
• quirks
• ways
• tricks
• fortes
• kinks
• oddities
• wonts

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• distastes
• allergies
• aversions
• dislikes
• disinclinations
• detachments
• disrelishes
• disfavors
• indifferences
• objectivities
• neutralities
• impartialities
• nonchalances
• insouciances
• apathies

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of impulses

Rothman’s creative impulses turned into Here Lies Love / Sawdust to Stardust, their 13-track LP that dropped on Friday via KRO Records. — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2026

Critical response was mixed with even the positive write-ups criticizing Beck for giving in to his most emotionally empty impulses. — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026

What drew you to this particular location, and how did its familiarity and natural beauty inform the film’s darker impulses? — Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026

Trendy Accents In Parravani’s experience, minimalists will often regret buying trendy accent pieces for the home in order to satisfy their impulses. — Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 16 Sep. 2026

Candid Broads is all about new impulses or different approaches. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026

The piece was well-timed, a matter both of luck and basic contrarian impulses. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2026

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

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