Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Characterized by sudden and forceful energy or emotion; impulsive and passionate.
- adj. Having or marked by violent force: impetuous, heaving waves.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Having or characterized by great impetus; rushing with force and violence; acting with sudden, vehement, or rash energy; performed or delivered with sudden, overbearing force: as, an impetuous torrent; an impetuous charge or harangue.
- Synonyms Precipitate, hot, furious, vehement, passionate.
Wiktionary
- adj. Making arbitrary decisions, especially in an impulsive and forceful manner.
- adj. Characterized by sudden and violent force.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Rushing with force and violence; moving with impetus; furious; forcible; violent.
- adj. Vehement in feeling; hasty; passionate; violent.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation
- adj. marked by violent force
Etymologies
- From Middle English, from Old French impetueux, from Late Latin impetuōsus ("violent"), from Latin impetus ("violence"). (Wiktionary)
- Middle English, violent, from Old French impetueux, from Late Latin impetuōsus, from Latin impetus, impetus; see impetus. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“It was used in short, impetuous outbursts on occasions of triumph or mourning.”
“There had been a startled pause, just long enough for him to curse himself mentally but not for him to recall his impetuous words, before his mother had demanded in excitement, 'You mean there is?”
“Those who recall the impetuous abandon of the pre-war agriculturist may well ask whether Boloism has not been work at again.”
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, October 31, 1917
“American directness and fairness called the impetuous Tschaplin before him and gave him so many hours in which to restore the rightful government to power.”
The History of the American Expedition Fighting the Bolsheviki Campaigning in North Russia 1918-1919
“The family has never been called impetuous," replied his mother.”
“But, on the other hand, he greatly marred his influence by what might be called impetuous intemperateness in his early press career.”
“He has been widely described as impetuous and immature and Webber says the team must shortly decide who they will support for the drivers 'title.”
“For, as much as Ronaldo can legitimately be called impetuous, a whiner, a baby, and an egomaniac, all of these titles ignore one simple fact:”
“Gave his wicket away with decision-making that can best be described as impetuous in both innings in the first Test.”
“Although his training was academic, Locatelli's rapid brushwork leaned towards modernist practices, and critics praised his work as "impetuous" and "bold.”
The Huffington Post: John Seed: Romualdo Locatelli: The Artist Who Disappeared
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘impetuous’.
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Test Prep or Just for fun
Building a list for standardized test prep or just for learning some new words! Please add any words that you feel are important for the SAT/GRE/GMAT etc...
throng, morass, parley, facile, kismet, strife, jetsam, carrion, annex, harbinger, vestige, surreptitious and 575 more...
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GRE 2014
abase, abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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allover
reintegrate, spight, surveillant, harmonize, Colophon, workplace, bigoted, unsighted, bridgework, salutation, voltmeter, octane and 159 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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501
Classic
abhor, mirth, obtuse, iota, vex, irk, teem, pith, moot, mete, ire, bane and 401 more...
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2nd part
prelude, ample, escalate, prototype, accession, acquisition, archives, zealot, indict, verdict, intimidating, timid and 454 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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EN - eloquence in public speaking
Key words from "The Training of a Public Speaker" by Grenville Kleiser (New York and London, 1920)
beget, imago, Vespasian, languid, studied, judgment, dwindle, artifice, contribute, observe, sonorous, gladiator and 264 more...
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501
Classic
bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado, toil, onus, aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august and 401 more...
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man gre
abase, abeyance, abreast, abscission, abscond, abyss, accede, accretion, acerbic, acidulous, acumen, adulterate and 483 more...
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GRE Readings
sophistry, religious, venture, touching, slander, rotunda, singular, spurious, rhetoric, virtue, temper, tardy and 133 more...
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Old words
recalcitrant, grok, Hiatus, shanghai, pervade, diffuse, tempestuous, incorrigible, daunt, cull, Erudite, Assuage and 35 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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gre2
aberrant, aberration, aboveboard, abrasive, abstemious, acme, admonish, affable, affluent, alacrity, allegory, alleviate and 1832 more...
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Barron's 1100 words you need to know ...
abjure, allay, complacent, connoisseur, debilitate, deter, discreet, evanescent, foment, glean, impetuous, occult and 8 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for impetuous.
dailyword One of the bad guys that they dealt with called Artie this. Sep 23, 2012
gangerh Saying what you think without thinking. Feb 14, 2008