impetuous
American
adjective
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liable to act without consideration; rash; impulsive
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resulting from or characterized by rashness or haste
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poetic moving with great force or violence; rushing
the impetuous stream hurtled down the valley
Synonym Usage
Impetuous, impulsive both refer to persons who are hasty and precipitate in action, or to actions not preceded by thought. Impetuous suggests eagerness, violence, rashness: impetuous vivacity; impetuous desire; impetuous words. Impulsive emphasizes spontaneity and lack of reflection: an impulsive act of generosity.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of impetuous
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin impetuōsus, equivalent to Latin impetu(s) “an attack” + -ōsus adjective suffix; see origin at impetus, -ous
Explanation
Someone impetuous acts too hastily or carelessly. Hotheaded, impulsive folks are impetuous. If you're a careful person who thinks everything through and doesn't act rashly, then you're not very impetuous. Impetuous has to do with doing things on the spur of the moment — and not good things. Being impetuous usually goes along with being impatient and easily angered. If you're impetuous, you act quickly and thoughtlessly when you should just take a deep breath, relax, and think about the best thing to do.
Vocabulary lists containing impetuous
100 Top "SAT" Words
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I turned 29 on my first job,” says Abdul-Mateen, laughing as he voices his impetuous younger self: “I’m young, I’m handsome, I got something to say, put me to work!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
"When you come on and your team is losing it gives you that extra impetuous to try and change it."
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026
"I am not an impetuous person. I think things through. I have the serenity not to lose it under tension and under pressure. I consult. I hear. And I am brave. I take risks."
From Barron's ● Feb. 28, 2026
“The babies’ breathing,” he writes, “was impetuous, nervous, uneven, but the mothers’ slow worldly sighs, forceful and vaguely wise, got to me, straight to the heart.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
And likewise, two men prosper equally employing two different means, one being cautious and the other impetuous.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
