IMPULSION Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

impulsion

noun

Definition of impulsion

as in impulse

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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 impulsion But this remark seems more a strategic argument than a deep-rooted impulsion. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 8 June 2026 What brought me freedom was realizing that the desire to be a help and a healer for others was more compelling to me than any morbid impulsion. — Michelle Nanouche, Christian Science Monitor, 26 Sep. 2025 That stage of young adulthood sits at a crossroads between a kind of societal awareness and youthful impulsion. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 June 2025 Basically the same trick, with the take-off impulsion applied via the nose. — John Leicester, ajc, 24 July 2021 What impulsion drove you to make a film instead of writing another novel? — Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impulsion

Noun

That playfulness channels the same artistic impulse that first drew Coppola to the project.

— Ben Croll, Variety, 25 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

Definition of impulse

Noun

Still, from early on, Brigitte understood the compulsion as evidence of her mother’s resolve.

— Tara Anne Dalbow, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
Long before the serial killings, Puente publicly claimed to have adopted them — revealing her desperate need for attention and a compulsion to lie.

— Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of compulsion

Noun

With an almost puritanical zeal, Pavese sought to banish rhetoric and image.

— Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
The source of Stevie’s anger lay in the drug’s having sapped her ability to live and work with the zeal and ambition that had defined her life and career up until then.

— Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of zeal

Noun

Ellen displays intimacy with Lara in front of Ruby; Lara withholds and then offers attention; Ruby watches with envy, desire, and the alertness of a guest who cannot tell whether she is being welcomed or appraised.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
Produced by Sergio Adrià’s Espurna Films, with Sandra Hermida on board as co-producer, the film centers on 17-year-old Clara, whose desire to be seen and loved is complicated by a growing impulse to escape the expectations surrounding her.

— Callum McLennan, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of desire

Noun

Every now and then, in the early hours of the morning, Kumar sits in the stillness to watch the fishermen return with their catch and feels a pang of longing.

— Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 20 Sep. 2026
Several of my favorite poetry collections capture the nuanced process of breaking up, with its extreme states of longing, anger, and sorrow—while also expanding the capacity for joy, pleasure, and compassion.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of longing

Noun

Students’ response to this approach has been full of gratitude, curiosity, respect, and a yearning for growth professionally and personally.

— David Elkowitz, STAT, 16 Sep. 2026
Indeed, the polar opposite of both Number One’s icy demeanor and Chapel’s long-suffering yearning, Majel is remembered by friends and colleagues as a boisterous, brassy, take-no-prisoners presence.

— Scott Huver, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of yearning

Noun

Although The Love Witch played around 100 theaters upon its 2016 debut, will audiences’ cravings for something different be enough to secure a wide release for The Face of Horror a decade later?

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026
Needing coffee immediately upon waking and experiencing afternoon fatigue, irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, sleep disturbances, and sugar cravings.

— Marie Bladt, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of craving

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“Impulsion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impulsion. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of impulsion

noun

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