Words / C2

im-PECH-oo-uh-s/ɪmˈpetʃuəs/

Impetuous means acting in a rush, without thought: an impetuous decision, impetuous youth. Rash and hasty are everyday; impulsive (impulse is already in the dictionary) is a close twin. Imperious (already in the dictionary) is arrogantly commanding — a lookalike. Do not call a dated, minuted decision impetuous merely because someone dislikes it.

Meaning

Acting quickly, without thought; rash (formal).

Examples

• “An impetuous tweet broke the embargo before the paper was live.”
• “Hasty is everyday. Impulsive is a sudden urge. Imperious is bossy (already in C2). Impetus is a driving force (already in the dictionary). Speed with a protocol can be diligence; speed that skips the embargo is impetuous.”

Good to know

Rash; hasty. Everyday: rash / hasty. Close: impulsive. Mix-up: imperious (commanding). A logged decision is not automatically rash.

Near in meaning

rash

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