impulsive
Americanadjective
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characterized by actions based on sudden desires, whims, or inclinations rather than careful thought
an impulsive man
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based on emotional impulses or whims; spontaneous
an impulsive kiss
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forceful, inciting, or impelling
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(of physical forces) acting for a short time; not continuous
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(of a sound) brief, loud, and having a wide frequency range
Related Words
See impetuous.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of impulsive
First recorded in 1375–1425 for an earlier sense; 1545–55 for current senses; late Middle English impulsif, from Medieval Latin impulsīvus; see origin at impulse, -ive
Explanation
If someone is impulsive, it means that they act on instinct, without thinking decisions through. If you worked for an entire year to save money for a car and then suddenly decided to spend it all on a diamond tiara instead, that would be an impulsive purchase. Impulses are short, quick feelings, and if someone is in the habit of acting on them, they're impulsive. When stores stock chocolate at the checkout line, they are hoping you will impulsively decide to buy it. When you call the person you have a crush on after promising yourself all day to maintain an air of dignified reserve, that's impulsive behavior. We might also call impulsive behavior whimsical or capricious.
Vocabulary lists containing impulsive
List 1
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The Lightning Thief
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Dracula
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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.
Sally contacted the BBC after one of her daughters sent her a link to BBC podcast series Impulsive, released in February 2026, and told her: "We think this is you."
From BBC • May 1, 2026
Its legions of die-hard fans include Cody Esser, who visited 33 Texas stores in three days for his Impulsive Traveler Guy blog.
From Washington Post • Aug. 14, 2019
Impulsive, entrancing Gus whisks her and her mom off to Amsterdam to meet her hero, and it is a journey that is to bring their relationship to a crisis.
From The Guardian • Jun. 19, 2014
A version of this review appears in print on March 21, 2014, on page C4 of the with the headline: Still Doleful, Still Impulsive.
From New York Times • Mar. 20, 2014
Impulsive as children, powerful as demigods, they made nations their toys, and life and death a game.
From An Introduction to Shakespeare by MacCracken, H. N.
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.
