impetuous
/imˈpɛt͡ʃuəs/adjective
impetuous is spelled I-M-P-E-T-U-O-U-S: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,073rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, impetuous means “Making arbitrary decisions, especially in an impulsive and forceful manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in impetuous?
| Letters | 9: I-M-P-E-T-U-O-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 47,073rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is impetuous?
Impetuous appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,073rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce impetuous?
- /imˈpɛt͡ʃuəs/
Impetuous has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-impetuous.ogg, En-us-impetuous-NEW.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of impetuous
- more impetuous comparative
- most impetuous superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does impetuous mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Making arbitrary decisions, especially in an impulsive and forceful manner.
- 2
Characterized by sudden violence or vehemence.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Impetuous in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | impulsif, irréfléchi , impétueux, brutal, brusque, violent |
| German | ungestüm, impulsiv, leidenschaftlich, unüberlegt , stürmisch |
| Portuguese | impetuoso , brusco |
| Spanish | impulsivo, impetuoso , brutal, brusco, violento |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does impetuous come from?
From Middle English impetuous, from Old French impetueux, from Late Latin impetuōsus (“violent”), from Latin impetus (“attack, violence”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).