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.

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

Scientists found that consuming caffeine at night can increase impulsive behavior, raising the likelihood of risky or uncontrolled actions.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

Some senior aides have occasionally encouraged him against making impulsive posts to his account, according to a person familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

“When prices are down, conversations tend to be more rational and sizing decisions more disciplined” as opposed to impulsive, FOMO-crazed performance chasing.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026

Not the thing you ached to do, not the impulsive act, but the thing that would pay off later.

From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier

Vocabulary lists containing impulsive

List 1

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The Lightning Thief

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Dracula

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