as in capriciousness
an inclination to sudden illogical changes of mind, ideas, or actions
his irrepressible impulsiveness sometimes got him into trouble
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Recent Examples of impulsiveness
That impulsiveness was on display last year when the president pushed the Texas state legislature to gerrymander its electoral maps before the midterms in the hope of maintaining Republican control of Congress.
—
Jason Willick, Washington Post, 26 Apr. 2026
Malcolm's daughter is struggling in life and school, but her father's genetic toolkit only has belligerence, impulsiveness and thickheadedness, passed on by his on-screen parents.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Ortiz and Brown take on Bebo and Lola portraying the impulsiveness of youth, exacerbated, particularly in Bebo’s case, by poverty and limited options to make his way in the world.
—Carlos Aguilar, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
Montse is intuition, strength, impulsiveness and heart.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
Paranoia’s impulsiveness, fixation, and self consciousness are mirrored in romance as a desire to be perceived in a particular way by a specific audience, a curiosity to uncover something deeper and more vital, and the desire to disappear into a world safe from outside perceptions.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
The novel Elphie follows the witch from infancy, shaped by her mother Melena’s impulsiveness and her father Frex’s stern piety, and navigating the jealousies that arise with the arrivals of her siblings, Nessarose and Shell.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
But will his personal interests and impulsiveness keep him from his goal?
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 13 Nov. 2025
Some viewers find her impulsiveness more irritating than endearing.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Jason Willick, Washington Post, 26 Apr. 2026
Malcolm's daughter is struggling in life and school, but her father's genetic toolkit only has belligerence, impulsiveness and thickheadedness, passed on by his on-screen parents.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Ortiz and Brown take on Bebo and Lola portraying the impulsiveness of youth, exacerbated, particularly in Bebo’s case, by poverty and limited options to make his way in the world.
—Carlos Aguilar, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
Montse is intuition, strength, impulsiveness and heart.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
Paranoia’s impulsiveness, fixation, and self consciousness are mirrored in romance as a desire to be perceived in a particular way by a specific audience, a curiosity to uncover something deeper and more vital, and the desire to disappear into a world safe from outside perceptions.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
The novel Elphie follows the witch from infancy, shaped by her mother Melena’s impulsiveness and her father Frex’s stern piety, and navigating the jealousies that arise with the arrivals of her siblings, Nessarose and Shell.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
But will his personal interests and impulsiveness keep him from his goal?
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 13 Nov. 2025
Some viewers find her impulsiveness more irritating than endearing.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impulsiveness
Noun
-
Whether out of arrogance, capriciousness, or collective amnesia, this recent history was ignored.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The capriciousness of fate was not lost on Karstens and many of the survivors.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
23 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Though the Durutti Column had been a disaster, Wilson was fascinated by the guitarist, who admired punk’s willfulness even though his own musical taste tended toward jazz, blues, and the classical tradition.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
What a perfect time for Talladega, where the one constant is unpredictability.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Prediction markets love the president’s unpredictability, his need to keep people guessing about his next move or social media post, leading to more wagers in these betting venues and more fees for them.—
Bernard Condon,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Screenwriter Craig Mazin finds a way, however, by smartly retooling Swann’s story for a younger audience, stripping out the text’s more violent eccentricities, while preserving the universally winning curiosity of the premise.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The album is full of strange, brilliant contradictions; Oklou slides masterfully between fun and eccentricity, pump and pathos.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impulsiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impulsiveness. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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