| / English Dictionary |
IMPULSIVE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation
Example:
madcap escapades
Synonyms:
brainish; hotheaded; impetuous; impulsive; madcap; tearaway
Classified under:
Similar:
incautious (lacking in caution)
Domain usage:
archaicism; archaism (the use of an archaic expression)
Derivation:
impulsiveness (the trait of acting suddenly on impulse without reflection)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason
Example:
the victim of whimsical persecutions
Synonyms:
capricious; impulsive; whimsical
Classified under:
Similar:
arbitrary (based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice)
Derivation:
impulsiveness (the trait of acting suddenly on impulse without reflection)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Having the power of driving or impelling
Example:
an impulsive force
Synonyms:
driving; impulsive
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
dynamic; dynamical (characterized by action or forcefulness or force of personality)
Derivation:
impel (urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or motivate)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Without forethought
Example:
letting him borrow her car was an impulsive act that she immediately regretted
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
unpremeditated (not premeditated)
Derivation:
impulsiveness (the trait of acting suddenly on impulse without reflection)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Proceeding from natural feeling or impulse without external stimulus
Example:
an impulsive gesture of affection
Synonyms:
impulsive; unprompted
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
self-generated; spontaneous (happening or arising without apparent external cause)
Derivation:
impulsiveness (the trait of acting suddenly on impulse without reflection)
Context examples:
This study is the first comprehensive examination of brain structure changes in preschoolers with signs of ADHD, a disorder marked by a pattern of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior.
(Atypical brain development observed in preschoolers with ADHD symptoms, National Institutes of Health)
Impulsive he might be, enthusiastic, sensitive, with something sympathetic and adaptive in his disposition; but an observer of nature's tokens would have confidently pledged himself that there was native firmness and strength underlying his gentle, monk-bred ways.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
And yet, with all this, he can be courteous, dignified, and kindly upon occasion, and I have seen an impulsive good-heartedness in the man which has made me overlook faults which come mainly from his being placed in a position which no one upon this earth was ever less fitted to fill.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Look here; to gain some real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or any other whom I truly love, I would willingly submit to have the bone of my arm broken, or to let a bull toss me, or to stand behind a kicking horse, and let it dash its hoof at my chest—Hush, Jane! you think too much of the love of human beings; you are too impulsive, too vehement; the sovereign hand that created your frame, and put life into it, has provided you with other resources than your feeble self, or than creatures feeble as you.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
We had learned of the existence of this steward, an impulsive man, of strong passions—you remember that he threw up what must have been a very superior berth in order to be nearer to his wife—subject, too, to occasional fits of hard drinking.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
It was quite against my wishes that she came, but she is a very excitable, impulsive girl, as you may have noticed, and she is not easily controlled when she has made up her mind on a point.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
With a tired sigh, and with an impulsive movement all her own, unpremeditated, spasmodic, she rested her head upon his breast.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
For a moment we caught a glimpse of the natural man, impulsive, ardent, keenly sensitive.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
New research using data from NASA’s Van Allen Probes mission and FIREBIRD II CubeSat has shown that a common plasma wave in space is likely responsible for the impulsive loss of high-energy electrons into Earth’s atmosphere.
(FIREBIRD II and NASA Mission Locate Whistling Space Electrons’ Origins, NASA)
The children’s scans revealed that those with ADHD symptoms had multiple areas with less brain matter volume than their typical peers, and these differences were consistent with parent reports of hyperactive and impulsive behaviors.
(Atypical brain development observed in preschoolers with ADHD symptoms, National Institutes of Health)
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