Hypertext Webster Gateway: "impulsive"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Impulsive \Im*pul"sive\, a. [Cf. F. impulsif.]
1. Having the power of driving or impelling; giving an
impulse; moving; impellent.

Poor men! poor papers! We and they Do some impulsive
force obey. --Prior.

2. Actuated by impulse or by transient feelings.

My heart, impulsive and wayward. --Longfellow.

3. (Mech.) Acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous;
-- said of forces.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Impulsive \Im*pul"sive\, n.
That which impels or gives an impulse; an impelling agent.
--Sir W. Wotton.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

impulsive
adj 1: proceeding from natural feeling or impulse without external
stimulus; "an impulsive gesture of affection" [syn: {unprompted}]
2: without forethought; "letting him borrow her car was an
impulsive act that she immediately regretted"
3: having the power of driving or impelling; "a driving
personal ambition"; "the driving force was his innate
enthusiasm"; "an impulsive force" [syn: {driving}]
4: determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by
necessity or reason; "a capricious refusal";
"authoritarian rulers are frequently capricious"; "the
victim of whimsical persecutions" [syn: {capricious}, {whimsical}]
5: characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or
deliberation; "a hotheaded decision"; "liable to such
impulsive acts as hugging strangers"; "an impetuous
display of spending and gambling"; "madcap escapades";
(`brainish' is archaic) [syn: {hotheaded}, {impetuous}, {madcap},
{tearaway(a)}, {brainish}]


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