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
-
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
-
Whether out of arrogance, capriciousness, or collective amnesia, this recent history was ignored.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
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
-
There’s an unpredictability to her anger that rightfully keeps the other women on guard.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
1 June 2026
-
For the person on the grudge is being held against, this make their relationship with the holder feel shaky to the point of unpredictability.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
That the series houses its mad science experiments and cartoonish fight scenes in familiar packaging goes a long way toward keeping it accessible, but the charming eccentricities and their astute implementation add up to a Spider-story worth investing in — bring on the strange.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
-
Sure, there are several social butterflies across the zodiac—Leo, Sagittarius, Aquarius, to name a few—but Geminis are famous for their magnetic eccentricity which captivates just about anyone in their orbit.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
21 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impulsiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impulsiveness. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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