What does impetuous mean?
Word: Impetuous
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Impetuous means acting quickly on a sudden feeling, without stopping to think about what might happen.
Synonyms: rash, hasty, impulsive, reckless
Antonyms: careful, thoughtful
Word origin: Comes from Latin impetuosus, from impetus, an attack or a rush forward.
How do you spell impetuous?
Syllables: im - pet - u - ous
Tricky part: The u before ous is the letter students lose, writing impetous. Others write impetuos and forget the final u. Say all four parts: im-pet-u-ous.
Watch out for: impetous, impetuos, impechuous
Memory tip: It grows out of impetus, the push that sets something moving. Take impetus, drop the s, add ous: impetu-ous.
Impetuous in a sentence
Example 1: In an impetuous moment, Kabir spent all his birthday money on one video game.
Example 2: The captain's impetuous call for a quick single got his partner run out.
Example 3: My aunt says she was impetuous as a teenager but has learnt to count to ten first.
Fun Fact
Impetuous can describe things as well as people: older writers spoke of an impetuous wind or an impetuous river, meaning one that rushes with great force.
Practise the CREST Way
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Her utepsiumo decision to leave the team in the middle of the season surprised everyone.
a) impetus
b) sumptuous
c) impetuous
d) tempestuous
Show answer
c) impetuous. Nine letters, one s and two u's: tempestuous is longer, sumptuous needs two s's and impetus is two letters short.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Ananya made an impetuous decision to cut her own fringe the night before the school photograph, and she regreted it the moment she looked in the mirror.
a) impetuous
b) photograph
c) mirror
d) regreted
Show answer
d) regreted. Regret doubles its final t before ed, so the past form is regretted, just as forget gives forgetting.
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to impetuous as used in the sentence:
Signing up for the marathon the day before the race, without a single practice run, was an impetuous act.
a) hurried
b) cautious
c) cheerful
d) lucky
Show answer
b) cautious. An impetuous act is done without stopping to think, and a cautious one is thought through first; a hurried act is close to impetuous, not its opposite.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. ambitous 2. temperamentel 3. impetuous 4. stubbern
a) refusing to change your mind
b) acting quickly on a sudden feeling, without thinking
c) likely to change mood suddenly and often
d) wanting very much to succeed
Show answer
b) acting quickly on a sudden feeling, without thinking. Impetuous is the correct one; temperamental ends in al, stubborn ends in orn and ambitious has an i before ous.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Meera is impetuous. Which advice would help her most?
a) try to reach school a little earlier
b) drink more water when it is hot
c) wait a day before making big choices
d) practise speaking louder in class
Show answer
c) wait a day before making big choices
2. Pick the most impetuous act.
a) Booking a holiday ten minutes after seeing an advert
b) Reading the instructions twice before starting
c) Checking the weather forecast before a long trek
d) Saving for a whole year to buy a new bicycle
Show answer
a) Booking a holiday ten minutes after seeing an advert
