impulsive

impulsive — adjective

1. acting or deciding quickly, without first thinking about the possible results —

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

acting or deciding quickly, without first thinking about the possible results — for example, buying something expensive on the spur of the moment, or sending an angry message before calming down.

Example

Ishaan made an impulsive decision to quit his job and travel around Asia.

impulsive decision to [infinitive]

Obi regretted his impulsive purchase of a sports car when he saw the monthly payments.

impulsive purchase of [item]

Common collocations
  • impulsive decision
  • impulsive purchase
  • impulsive act
  • impulsive behaviour
  • impulsive spending
  • impulsive person
  • impulsive nature
  • impulsive habit
  • impulsive gesture
  • impulsive move
Synonyms
  • spontaneous

    More positive than impulsive — suggests natural, enjoyable, unplanned behaviour without the sense of regret

  • hasty

    Focuses on doing something too quickly, often with the result that it is done badly; less about personality and more about the speed of a single action

  • rash

    Stronger negative tone than impulsive — emphasises that the action was dangerously or foolishly unwise, not just unplanned

  • impetuous

    More formal and literary than impulsive; suggests passionate, forceful, and quick action driven by emotion rather than mere lack of planning

Antonyms
  • cautious

    Describes someone who thinks carefully before acting, the opposite of following sudden urges

  • deliberate

    Describes actions that are slow, careful, and intentional — the opposite of hasty or impulsive

  • restrained

    Describes someone who holds back their desires or urges, the opposite of acting on impulse

Grammar Patterns

impulsive + noun (decision / purchase / act / behaviour)

be + impulsive

Usage Note

Often used to describe decisions, purchases, or actions made quickly without planning. Can describe a single action ('an impulsive decision') or a person's general nature ('an impulsive person'). Carries a slightly negative or regretful tone — the speaker implies that acting without thought led or could lead to a poor result.

Common Mistakes

She has an impulsive need to check her phone every two minutes.
She has a compulsive need to check her phone every two minutes.
'Compulsive' describes a repeated, driven urge (often related to anxiety), while 'impulsive' describes a single sudden unplanned action.
I made an impulsive plan to save money this year.
I made a sudden decision to save money, but I had actually thought about it for weeks.
An impulsive action happens without prior planning; if you spent time thinking about it beforehand, it is not impulsive.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe behaviour that happens without full planning, but they differ in tone and focus. 'Impulsive' (the most neutral of the four) describes acting on a sudden urge without stopping to think — it can be used for small actions ('an impulsive comment') or life-changing ones ('an impulsive marriage'). 'Spontaneous' is strongly positive and suggests natural, joyful, unforced behaviour ('a spontaneous picnic', 'spontaneous laughter'); it rarely carries regret. 'Hasty' focuses on speed and its negative consequence — you do something so fast that you get it wrong ('a hasty decision that ignored the fine print'). 'Rash' is the strongest in negative judgement, implying foolish recklessness that a reasonable person would have avoided ('a rash promise to lend money he did not have'). 'Impetuous' is more literary and suggests forceful emotion or passion driving the action ('an impetuous young lover who proposed on the second date'). Choose 'impulsive' for everyday unplanned behaviour, 'spontaneous' for enjoyable surprises, 'hasty' for mistakes caused by rushing, 'rash' for dangerous foolishness, and 'impetuous' for dramatic, emotion-fuelled actions.

spontaneous ↗hastyrashimpetuous

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • somewhat impulsive
  • rather impulsive
  • too impulsive
  • highly impulsive
  • incredibly impulsive
  • a bit impulsive

Phrases

  • on an impulsive whim
  • in an impulsive moment
  • an impulsive streak

Prepositions

  • impulsive in
  • impulsive about

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'impulsive' comes from Latin 'impulsivus', meaning 'having the power to drive onward'. This was formed from 'impulsus', the past participle of 'impellere' — a combination of the prefix 'in-' ('into, upon') and 'pellere' ('to push, drive, strike'). So the original image was of something being physically pushed or driven forward. By the 1600s, English had taken this physical pushing sense and turned it into a psychological one: acting because of an internal push or urge, rather than after careful reasoning.