Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Inclined to act on impulse rather than thought.
- adjective Motivated by or resulting from impulse.
- adjective Having force or power to impel or incite; forceful.
- adjective Physics Acting within brief time intervals. Used especially of a force.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Having the power of driving or impelling; moving; impellent.
- Actuated or controlled by impulses; swayed by the emotions: as, an impulsive child.
- Resulting from impulse: as, impulsive movements or gestures.
- In mech., acting by instantaneous impulse, not continuously: said of forces. See
force , 8 . - noun That which impels; impelling cause or reason.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Having the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent.
- adjective Actuated by impulse or by transient feelings.
- adjective (Mech.) Acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous; -- said of forces.
- noun That which impels or gives an impulse; an impelling agent.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Having the power of
driving orimpelling ; giving animpulse ;moving ;impellent . - adjective
Actuated byimpulse or bytransient feelings. - adjective mechanics Acting
momentarily , or by impulse; notcontinuous – said offorces . - adjective Highly reactive; people who react quickly or feel emotional
- noun That which
impels or gives animpulse ; an impellingagent . - noun One whose behaviour or personality is characterized by being impulsive.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective having the power of driving or impelling
- adjective characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation
- adjective proceeding from natural feeling or impulse without external stimulus
- adjective determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason
- adjective without forethought
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word impulsive.
Examples
-
Without the ability to restrain impulsive behavior, you're like a capuchin on crack, lurching from this random item to the next, and before you know it you have an absentee life.
Joe Robinson: Is Email Making You Stupid? Joe Robinson 2010
-
Without the ability to restrain impulsive behavior, you're like a capuchin on crack, lurching from this random item to the next, and before you know it you have an absentee life.
Joe Robinson: Is Email Making You Stupid? Joe Robinson 2010
-
Practical and impulsive is what I would describe myself as.
-
Practical and impulsive is what I would describe myself as.
Archive 2009-01-01 2009
-
Without the ability to restrain impulsive behavior, you're like a capuchin on crack, lurching from this random item to the next, and before you know it you have an absentee life.
Joe Robinson: Is Email Making You Stupid? Joe Robinson 2010
-
Without the ability to restrain impulsive behavior, you're like a capuchin on crack, lurching from this random item to the next, and before you know it you have an absentee life.
Joe Robinson: Is Email Making You Stupid? Joe Robinson 2010
-
Intermittent Explosive Disorder IED is an extremely rare behavioral disorder characterized by impulsive acts of aggression.
WWE Championship Kevin Sullivan 2010
-
A colleague once referred to impulsive children as “MNM” kids: Me, Now, and More!
It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend Richard Lavoie 2005
-
A colleague once referred to impulsive children as “MNM” kids: Me, Now, and More!
It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend Richard Lavoie 2005
-
A colleague once referred to impulsive children as “MNM” kids: Me, Now, and More!
It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend Richard Lavoie 2005
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.