impetuous

adjective

im·pet·u·ous | \ im-ˈpech-wəs

; -ˈpe-chə-, -chü-əs\

Definition of impetuous

1 : marked by impulsive vehemence or passion an impetuous temperament

2 : marked by force and violence of movement or action an impetuous wind

Other Words from impetuous Choose the Right Synonym WhatAnd WhoGets Described as Impetuous Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about impetuous

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Choose the Right Synonym for impetuous

precipitate, headlong, abrupt, impetuous, sudden mean showing undue haste or unexpectedness. precipitate stresses lack of due deliberation and implies prematureness of action. the army's precipitate withdrawal headlong stresses rashness and lack of forethought. a headlong flight from arrest abrupt stresses curtness and a lack of warning or ceremony. an abrupt refusal impetuous stresses extreme impatience or impulsiveness. an impetuous lover proposing marriage sudden stresses unexpectedness and sharpness or violence of action. flew into a sudden rage

WhatAnd WhoGets Described as Impetuous

Impetuous is often applied to various kinds of behavior, and to the people who exhibit that behavior. Impetuous behavior is often impulsive behavior: the impetuous among us act without thinking long and hard about the consequences of their actions. They are rash and reckless:

The new monarch—the first grandchild of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert—was boastful, arrogant and impetuous. He spent most of his waking hours talking, arguing, shouting, predicting, threatening and generally unbosoming himself of his latest preoccupations to whomever happened to be within earshot. Even when he made the utmost effort to restrain himself, the indiscretions kept slipping out.
— Christopher Clark and Andrew Preston, The New Statesman, 1 Nov. 2016

His characters … often explicitly and conspicuously [reject] advice to take time, find out more, gather information, test assumptions, or consider alternative courses of action. Such impetuous decisions usually lead to greater calamity.
— Edith Hall, in A Companion to Sophocles, 2012

If Nicholas be not always found to be blameless or agreeable, he is not always intended to appear so. He is a young man of an impetuous temper and of little or no experience; and I saw no reason why such a hero should be lifted out of nature.
— Charles Dickens, preface to Nicholas Nickleby, 1839

Passion, ever an inspiration for impetuous behavior, is also often implied, as those guided by the heart take ill-considered action:

This isn't the most historically faithful examination of the relationship between Henry [VIII] and Anne Boleyn, the singular woman who managed to control him, however briefly. But the drama deftly humanizes this impetuous pair as it explores the circumstances that brought them together and drove them apart.
— Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun, 27, Oct. 2016

The word is, especially in literature, sometimes applied to those that can't, in fact, do much considering at all, ill or otherwise:

A wide plain, where the broadening Floss hurries on between its green banks to the sea, and the loving tide, rushing to meet it, checks its passage with an impetuous embrace.
— George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss, 1860

Sylvie burst in all impetuous, sprang to my lap, and with her paws at my neck, and her little nose and tongue somewhat overpoweringly busy about my face, mouth, and eyes, flourished her bushy tail over the desk, and scattered books and papers far and wide.
— Charlotte Brontë, Villette, 1853

The impulsiveness of an impetuous human is here imagined to exist in a river and a dog. This too is standard use, and not an example of writers being impetuous with word choice.

Did You Know?

When we borrowed impetuous in the late 14th century, we used it of people and their actions. About a hundred years later, we added another sense to describe physical things like wind or storms or seas. (We don't use this second sense much anymore.) The word comes via Middle French from Late Latin impetuosus, which is from impetus. Latin impetus (which of course gave us our own impetus, meaning "driving force") essentially means "assault," but it also has figurative senses ranging from "violence" to "ardor." Our impetuous has a similar range of meaning, from "violent" to "passionate." It also carries the suggestion of impulsiveness. Often, we put a light touch on the word, as when we refer (somewhat longingly, perhaps) to our "impetuous youth."

Examples of impetuous in a Sentence

In one episode of "The Sopranos," … the young, impetuous mobster Christopher Moltisanti … tries to write a screenplay in the hours when he is not robbing trucks or picking up cannolis for Tony. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2001 And from the beginning, NASA was trapped beneath the dominoes, as the Soviets knocked off first satellite, first man in space, first earth orbit, first space walk. But it was Kennedy's impetuous science-fiction PR that really put the pressure on, when he promised to put an American on the moon by the end of the decade. — Erik Davis, Village Voice, 26 July 1994 Men who don't wear hats are generally youthful, vigorous, impetuous, and have a devil-may-care glint in their eyes. — Mike Royko, Like I Was Sayin' … , 1984 He's always been an impetuous young man.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Brazilian playmaker has been unable to earn a regular starting role at Camp Nou, often becoming a scapegoat for the club's impetuous fanbase despite La Liga success last year. — SI.com, "Barcelona 'Accelerate' Neymar Transfer Plans With Philippe Coutinho in Mix for PSG Switch," 11 Aug. 2019 SV Shakes’ outdoor production at Saratoga’s Sanborn County Park is directed by Angie Higgins and stars Melissa Jones as White Snake and Evelyn Huynh as her impetuous companion Green Snake. — Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, "Mary Zimmerman’s ‘White Snake’ comes to Silicon Valley Shakespeare," 9 Aug. 2019 For Edelman, branching out was not an impetuous decision. — Ben Baskin, SI.com, "Julian Edelman Is Back on Top and Ready to Take Over the World," 3 July 2019 And that assessment doesn’t begin to evaluate the merit of his many impetuous decisions. — Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, "Letter: Trump labeling foes who criticize him is child-like," 19 June 2019 Today this long-running accommodation may be crumbling as a result of the rise to power of the impetuous Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman. — Daniel Benjamin, The New York Review of Books, "Reckless in Riyadh," 30 May 2019 Her more impetuous advisers urged Isabella to seize power without waiting for Henry to die. — National Geographic, "To seize power in Spain, Queen Isabella had to play it smart," 28 Mar. 2019 However, teenage Astrid was very impressionable, impetuous, and tempestuous. — Aja Romano, Vox, "Crazy Rich Asians’ mid-credits scene is brief, but very revealing," 18 Aug. 2018 Compared to the countries that provided our first waves of immigrants, America is still young, impetuous, evolving. — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "However polarized our politics seem, America has made it through worse," 3 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'impetuous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for impetuous

impetuous

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of impetuous

: acting or done quickly and without thought : controlled by emotion rather than thought

See the full definition for impetuous in the English Language Learners Dictionary

impetuous

adjective

im·pet·u·ous | \ im-ˈpe-chə-wəs

Kids Definition of impetuous

: acting or done quickly and without thought : impulsive an impetuous decision

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impetuous

Definition of impetuous

Other Words from impetuous

Choose the Right Synonym for impetuous

WhatAnd WhoGets Described as Impetuous

Did You Know?

Examples of impetuous in a Sentence

First Known Use of impetuous

History and Etymology for impetuous

English Language Learners Definition of impetuous

Kids Definition of impetuous

impetuous

Definition of impetuous

Other Words from impetuous

Choose the Right Synonym for impetuous

WhatAnd WhoGets Described as Impetuous

Did You Know?

Examples of impetuous in a Sentence

First Known Use of impetuous

History and Etymology for impetuous

English Language Learners Definition of impetuous

Kids Definition of impetuous

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