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.

By comparing MRI scans with psychopathy assessment results, the researchers found that a larger striatum was linked to a stronger need for stimulation, including thrill-seeking, excitement, and impulsive behavior.

From Science Daily • May 10, 2026

You won’t fall into a downward spiral of impulsive trading if you require yourself to pause and think before any gamble.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 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

Even though both sexes had similar levels of caffeine in their systems, females displayed much higher levels of impulsive behavior.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

“She’s just a little impulsive, that’s all,” he said to Pearl.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Vocabulary lists containing impulsive

List 1

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The Lightning Thief

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Dracula

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