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.

Adversaries thought that Turner’s ventures could be reckless and impulsive.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

Doctors sometimes address the problem by increasing dosages, which in turn causes more impulsive behaviour.

From BBC • May 1, 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 lacked the impulsive character of his fiancée, and he considered respect for one’s given word as a wealth that should not be squandered.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Vocabulary lists containing impulsive

List 1

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The Lightning Thief

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Dracula

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