impulsive

I1M3P3U1L1S1I1V4E1
/ɪmˈpʌlsɪv/

adjective

Having the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent.

Similar
hastyprecipitantrashimpetuousunpromptedspontaneousself-generatedunpremeditated
OriginMiddle French impulsif ← Latin impulsivus →
Less commonScrabble 16
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Meanings

adjectiveimpulsive (comparative more impulsive, superlative most impulsive)

comparative more impulsive · superlative most impulsive

  1. Having the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent.

    Poor men! poor papers! We and they / Do some impulsive force obey.

    1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Alma: Or, The Progress of the Mind”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], →OCLC
  2. Actuated by impulse or by transient feelings; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration.

    my heart, impulsive and wayward

    1847 November 1, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline, a Tale of Acadie, Boston, Mass.: William D. Ticknor & Company, →OCLC, (please specify either |part=I or II)
    1 more example

    Americans are not libertarians in the Cato Institute sense of the word, but they are folk libertarians in this sense of impulsive behaviour, which is a feature of American life that anyone who wants to govern the United States, Democratic or Republican, has to be aware of.

    2025 April 28, Ross Douthat, Nick Adams, “Condition of America”, in New Left Review, number 152, →ISSN

    Synonyms: hasty, precipitant, rash, impetuous

  3. engineeringOf a force, acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous.
nounimpulsive (plural impulsives)

plural impulsives

  1. That which impels or gives an impulse; an impelling agent.

    Notwithstanding all which Motives and impulsives , Sir Thomas Overbury refused to be sent abroad , with such terms

    1613, Henry Wotton, letter to Edmund Bacon
  2. One whose behaviour or personality is characterized by being impulsive.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveActuated by impulse or by transient feelings; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration.

Similar
hastyprecipitantrashimpetuous

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveproceeding from natural feeling or impulse without external stimulus

Similar
unpromptedspontaneousself-generated

adjectivewithout forethought

Similar
unpremeditated

adjectivehaving the power of driving or impelling

Similar
drivingdynamicdynamical

adjectivedetermined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason

Similar
capriciouswhimsicalarbitrary

adjectivecharacterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation

Similar
hotheadedimpetuousmadcaptearawaybrainishincautious
Also see
arbitrarybrainishcapriciousdrivingdynamicdynamicalhotheadedimpetuousincautiouslavishmadcapprecipitantprecipitaterashrecklessspontaneoussuddentearawayunpremeditatedunpromptedunreflectingwhimsical

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinimpulsivus
  2. Middle Frenchimpulsif
  3. Englishimpulsive

Borrowed from Middle French impulsif, from Latin impulsivus.

More words from Middle French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans impulsief, impulsief
  • impulsiefhaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • impulsiefactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • impulsiefhighly reactive; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration
  • impulsief(mechanics) acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous
Ancient Greek ὁρμητικός
  • ὁρμητικός (hormētikós)actuated by impulse or by transient feelings
Bulgarian възбуждащ, задвижващ
  • възбуждащ (văzbuždašt)having the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • задвижващ (zadvižvašt)having the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • импулсен (impulsen)actuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • импулсивен (impulsiven)highly reactive; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration
  • импулсен (impulsen)(mechanics) acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous
Catalan impulsiu, impulsiu
  • impulsiuhaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • impulsiuactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • impulsiuhighly reactive; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration
Chinese Mandarin 衝動 /冲动
  • 衝動 /冲动 (chōngdòng)actuated by impulse or by transient feelings
Czech impulsivní, impulsivní
  • impulsivníhaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • impulsivníactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • impulzivníhighly reactive; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration
  • impulsivní(mechanics) acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous
Danish impulsiv, impulsiv
  • impulsivactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • impulsivhighly reactive; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration
Dutch impulsief, impulsief
  • impulsiefhaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • impulsiefactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • impulsiefhighly reactive; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration
  • impulsief(mechanics) acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous
Esperanto impulsiva, impulsema
  • impulsivahaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • impulsemahaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • facilanimaactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • impulsiĝemahighly reactive; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration
Finnish impulsiivinen, impulsiivinen
  • impulsiivinenhaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • impulsiivinenactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • äkkipikainenhighly reactive; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration
  • impulsiivinenhighly reactive; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration
  • äkillinen(mechanics) acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous
French impulsif, impulsif
  • impulsifhaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • impulsifactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • impulsifhighly reactive; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration
  • impulsif(mechanics) acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous
German impulsiv, impulsiv
  • impulsivactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • impulsivhighly reactive; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration
  • impulsiv(mechanics) acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous
Icelandic hvatvís
  • hvatvísactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
Irish tobann
  • tobannactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
Italian impulsivo, impulsivo
  • impulsivohaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • impulsivoactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • impulsivo(mechanics) acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous
Korean 충동적인
  • 충동적인 (chungdongjeogin)actuated by impulse or by transient feelings
Māori ohia, manawarere
  • ohiaactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • manawarereactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • takahorohorohighly reactive; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration
Norwegian Bokmål impulsiv
  • impulsivactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
Portuguese impulsivo, impelente
  • impulsivohaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • impelentehaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • impulsorhaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • impulsivoactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • impulsivohighly reactive; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration
Romanian impulsiv, impulsiv
  • impulsivhaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • impulsivactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
Russian импульси́вный, импульси́вный
  • импульси́вный (impulʹsívnyj)having the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • импульси́вный (impulʹsívnyj)actuated by impulse or by transient feelings
Scottish Gaelic spreigearra, spreigearra
  • spreigearrahaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • spreigearraactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • spreigearrahighly reactive; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration
Spanish impulsivo, impulsivo
  • impulsivohaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • impulsivoactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
  • impulsivohighly reactive; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration
  • impulsivo(mechanics) acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous
Thai หุนหัน
  • หุนหันactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
Turkish fevri, fevri
  • fevrihaving the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent
  • fevriactuated by impulse or by transient feelings
Cite this entry
APA

impulsive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impulsive

MLA

“impulsive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impulsive. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “impulsive,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/impulsive.

Source: impulsive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.