Impetuous
Midnight texts, impulse trips, and haircuts after breakups share a reputation for feeling right until morning.
Learn This WordMeaning
Acting quickly without thought or care; impulsive and rash.
Memory trick
IMPETUOUS comes from IMPETUS, acting on impulse and momentum.
Examples
An impetuous launch without QA created avoidable incidents.
He made an impetuous decision and regretted it the next day.
Her impetuous tweet escalated the dispute unnecessarily.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Latin impetuosus "violent, forceful," from impetus "attack, impulse."
Usage Notes
Highlights speed plus poor judgment, not just speed alone.
Real-life contexts
Use in retros: "That was an impetuous change; we skipped safeguards."
Use in coaching: "Pause before acting on impetuous reactions."
Use in writing: "Impetuous characters create momentum and conflict."
Common Mistakes
Impetuous differs from enthusiastic; it implies insufficient reflection.
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Part of Speech
adjective
Difficulty
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