impulsive

adjective

im·​pul·​sive im-ˈpəl-siv 

1

a

: arising from an impulse

an impulsive decision

b

: prone to act on impulse

an impulsive young man

2

: acting momentarily

3

: having the power of or actually driving or impelling

impulsively adverb

impulsiveness noun

impulsivity

im-ˌpəl-ˈsi-və-tē 

noun

Synonyms

• besetting
• compulsive
• driven
• obsessional
• obsessive

Choose the Right Synonym for impulsive

spontaneous, impulsive, instinctive, automatic, mechanical mean acting or activated without deliberation.

spontaneous implies lack of prompting and connotes naturalness.

a spontaneous burst of applause

impulsive implies acting under stress of emotion or spirit of the moment.

impulsive acts of violence

instinctive stresses action involving neither judgment nor will.

blinking is an instinctive reaction

automatic implies action engaging neither the mind nor the emotions and connotes a predictable response.

his denial was automatic

mechanical stresses the lifeless, often perfunctory character of the response.

a mechanical teaching method

Examples of impulsive in a Sentence

I couldn't make out exactly what had happened, though I could guess how it started—the two of them talking, kidding around when Mrs. Ramsey came down to the library basement to file some periodicals, an impulsive kiss in the stacks … —Tobias Wolff, Old School, 2003

There was an odd nobility, a knight-errant quality, about Alan—in his willingness to suffer for the sake of life itself, in his tendency to view himself under harsher light than he would turn on others, in his impulsive generosity. —Tracy Kidder, Home Town, 1999

So speaks Maude Bailey, the celibate feminist scholar heroine of A. S. Byatt's fifth novel, as, in an impulsive collusion with a male scholar she scarcely knows, she runs off to Brittany. —Joyce Carol Oates, Vogue, November 1990

She's impulsive and often does things that she later regrets.

He needs to learn to control his impulsive behavior.

She made an impulsive decision to quit her job.

Recent Examples on the Web

Does the child make impulsive decisions that might be regretted later? —Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 30 Nov. 2024

One league source wouldn’t put the Bears anywhere near the same level of deterrence as the New York Jets, whose owner, Woody Johnson, has a reputation for being impulsive and volatile. —Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 30 Nov. 2024

Both belong to a class of drugs known as stimulants, which help increase focus and control impulsive behaviors by acting on chemicals in the brain.3 While Desoxyn contains methamphetamine and Adderall is a mix of amphetamine salts, these medications work in similar ways to manage symptoms of ADHD. —T'keyah Bazin, Pharmd, Verywell Health, 29 Oct. 2024

While some viewers praised the method as a straightforward way to reduce impulsive buying, others questioned its practicality. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see impulse entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

impulsive

adjective

im·​pul·​sive im-ˈpəl-siv 

1

: acting or tending to act on impulse

2

: resulting from a sudden impulse

impulsively adverb

impulsiveness noun

Medical Definition

impulsive

adjective

im·​pul·​sive im-ˈpəl-siv 

1

: having the power of or actually driving or impelling

2

: actuated by or prone to act on impulse

impulsive behavior

3

: acting momentarily

brief impulsive auditory stimuli

impulsively adverb

impulsiveness noun

impulsivity

-ˌpəl-ˈsiv-ət-ē 

noun

plural impulsivities