impulsive

[im-puhl-siv] / ɪmˈpʌl sɪv /

ADJECTIVE

tending to act without thought

Synonyms

STRONGEST

abrupt hasty impetuous instinctive offhand passionate spontaneous violent

WEAK

ad-lib automatic careless devil-may-care emotional extemporaneous flaky gone off deep end headlong hot-and-cold intuitive involuntary jumping the gun mad precipitate quick rash sudden swift unconsidered unexpected unmeditated unpredictable unpremeditated unprompted up-and-down winging it

Antonyms

STRONGEST

calm deliberate planned sensible

WEAK

cautious considering heedful premeditative thoughtful wise

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.

Two men are entranced by her, a suave doctor played by David Niven and Richard Conte’s impulsive race-car driver.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

Laurent McNamara lived with bipolar disorder - characterised by extreme shifts in mood, and impulsive, sometimes reckless, behaviour.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

The piece included unnamed sources who described Patel as impulsive and absent from his post, and who claimed he was concerned about his job security.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

So really, the message here is that we should all be more impulsive and slightly unhinged — Anna ends up living her Tuscan dreams after all.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

He’s restless, always restless, and impulsive in ways I find charming.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Vocabulary lists containing impulsive

List 1

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The Lightning Thief

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Dracula

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