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
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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. See More
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. See More Recent Examples on the Web Look for a way to be flexible without being impulsive. Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2022 The Obama administration was often uncomfortable with the projection of American power, and the Trump administration, despite some good instincts, was an impulsive and organizational mess. Robert D. Kaplan, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022 Watch your tongue, though, on the 26th and try not to be impulsive. Katharine Merlin, Town & Country, 16 July 2022 Scientists have long known the teenage and post-teenage period is a critical time for brain development and a time, for most teenage boys, often characterized by aggressive and impulsive behavior. New York Times, 2 June 2022 The judge said that Pistorius’ life was forever changed by the impulsive act. Fox News, 8 July 2022 The most common symptoms of CTE include difficulty thinking, depression, memory loss, aggression, impulsive behavior and emotional instability, among others. Natasha Dye, PEOPLE.com, 5 July 2022 For instance, an assessment might ask teachers how frequently a student engages in arguing and impulsive behavior or is sad. Nathaniel Von Der Embse, The Conversation, 3 June 2022 While the crew is in hypersleep, Buzz makes an impulsive decision to land on a mysterious planet and mine it for resources. cleveland, 13 June 2022 See More
Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2022 The Obama administration was often uncomfortable with the projection of American power, and the Trump administration, despite some good instincts, was an impulsive and organizational mess. Robert D. Kaplan, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022 Watch your tongue, though, on the 26th and try not to be impulsive. Katharine Merlin, Town & Country, 16 July 2022 Scientists have long known the teenage and post-teenage period is a critical time for brain development and a time, for most teenage boys, often characterized by aggressive and impulsive behavior. New York Times, 2 June 2022 The judge said that Pistorius’ life was forever changed by the impulsive act. Fox News, 8 July 2022 The most common symptoms of CTE include difficulty thinking, depression, memory loss, aggression, impulsive behavior and emotional instability, among others. Natasha Dye, PEOPLE.com, 5 July 2022 For instance, an assessment might ask teachers how frequently a student engages in arguing and impulsive behavior or is sad. Nathaniel Von Der Embse, The Conversation, 3 June 2022 While the crew is in hypersleep, Buzz makes an impulsive decision to land on a mysterious planet and mine it for resources. cleveland, 13 June 2022 See More 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 suddenly and without careful thought He's impulsive and does things he regrets.
2
: resulting from a sudden impulse
an impulsive decision
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
impulsive
adjective
1
as in obsessive
caused by or suggestive of an irresistible urge an impulsive purchase of a very expensive jacket Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- obsessive
- compulsive
- spontaneous
- driven
- obsessional
- instinctive
- automatic
- uncontrollable
- unpredictable
- besetting
- irrepressible
- reflex
- unconscious
- unthinking
- mechanical
- knee-jerk
- capricious
- whimsical
- involuntary
- conditioned
- unwitting
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- wilful
- willful
- voluntary
- controllable
- unforced
- resistible
- manageable
2
as in volatile
prone to sudden illogical changes of mind, ideas, or actions an impulsive woman who never seems to have the same opinion about anything for longer than 10 minutes Synonyms & Similar Words
- volatile
- eccentric
- moody
- capricious
- impetuous
- whimsical
- romantic
- freakish
- willful
- temperamental
- mercurial
- shaky
- erratic
- quirky
- flaky
- arbitrary
- impractical
- fickle
- quixotic
- inconstant
- wilful
- irregular
- unrealistic
- utopian
- crankish
- visionary
- quixotical
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- practical
- pragmatic
- sensible
- reasonable
- equable
- hardheaded
- rational
- levelheaded
- pragmatical
- logical
- earthy
- sound
- sane
- sober
- grounded
- commonsensical
- inflexible
- uncompromising
- fast
- tough-minded
- unrelenting
- unyielding
- invariable
- fixed
- unbending
- constant
- unchangeable
- unalterable
- matter-of-fact
- down-to-earth
- steady
- stable
- immutable
- steadfast
- no-nonsense
- hard-boiled
- unvarying
- sobersided
- unchanging
- changeless
- established
- settled
- set
- hard-and-fast
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of impulsive are automatic, instinctive, mechanical, and spontaneous. While all these words mean "acting or activated without deliberation," impulsive implies acting under stress of emotion or spirit of the moment.
impulsive acts of violence
The words automatic and impulsive can be used in similar contexts, but automatic implies action engaging neither the mind nor the emotions and connotes a predictable response.
his denial was automatic
In some situations, the words instinctive and impulsive are roughly equivalent. However, instinctive stresses action involving neither judgment nor will.
blinking is an instinctive reaction
Although the words mechanical and impulsive have much in common, mechanical stresses the lifeless, often perfunctory character of the response.
a mechanical teaching method
While in some cases nearly identical to impulsive, spontaneous implies lack of prompting and connotes naturalness.
a spontaneous burst of applause