1
as in incentives
something that arouses action or activity
the new auto factory was just the impulse that the local economy needed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tendencies
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing
the universal, fundamental impulse of self-preservation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impulses
Because at its core, this legal drama that revolves around artificial intelligence is actually rooted in the very human impulses of kinship, greed, betrayal, and power.
—
Tom Dotan, Vanity Fair, 27 Apr. 2026
Bell, whose screen roles have long radiated decency and sensitivity, channels that guilelessness once more, only to expose it as yet another façade that helps Niall to conceal his darker impulses.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
With SpaceX, Muskism’s pursuit of state symbiosis converged with the privatizing impulses of the early 21st century to find a deeper channel.
—Ben Tarnoff, Big Think, 23 Apr. 2026
The one nation that could restrain his worst impulses — us — enables them instead.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
At a time when many of us are struggling to see a future that isn’t just a fulfillment of the worst impulses of the corrupt, exploitative, anti-democratic present, Fugard offers a vision of perseverance and resistance.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Under this influence, our collective impulses are louder as the need for independence is undeniable.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
These impulses are at odds during today’s last quarter moon.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Eight decades later, as nations inch toward despotism, an art animated by democratic impulses makes a stronger case for itself.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Tom Dotan, Vanity Fair, 27 Apr. 2026
Bell, whose screen roles have long radiated decency and sensitivity, channels that guilelessness once more, only to expose it as yet another façade that helps Niall to conceal his darker impulses.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
With SpaceX, Muskism’s pursuit of state symbiosis converged with the privatizing impulses of the early 21st century to find a deeper channel.
—Ben Tarnoff, Big Think, 23 Apr. 2026
The one nation that could restrain his worst impulses — us — enables them instead.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
At a time when many of us are struggling to see a future that isn’t just a fulfillment of the worst impulses of the corrupt, exploitative, anti-democratic present, Fugard offers a vision of perseverance and resistance.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Under this influence, our collective impulses are louder as the need for independence is undeniable.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
These impulses are at odds during today’s last quarter moon.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Eight decades later, as nations inch toward despotism, an art animated by democratic impulses makes a stronger case for itself.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impulses
Noun
-
In response, Baltimore City officials created programs to boost affordable housing in various ways, including incentives to transform vacant homes.—
Lily Carey,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Some content creators are compensated, and this also creates problematic incentives in the system.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Rácz has been interpreted as a foil to Vladimír Mečiar, a real-life politician who served as Slovakia’s prime minister between 1990 and 1998 and was heavily criticized for his autocratic tendencies, strongman persona, and ties to organized crime.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
-
All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
All through the park, competitors and onlookers hit vapes and shout tips and encouragements into trees.—
Calin Van Paris,
Outside,
19 Mar. 2026
-
In October 2024 ahead of her own stay at MSG, Billie Eilish recorded encouragements to take the subways for environmental benefits.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Who knew that such daring would lead to a film that avoids these inclinations entirely, especially one that could have so easily leaned into controversial territory?—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Samuel Alito’s inclinations have not been hard to discern lately.—
Peter S. Canellos,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There are other motivations left, too.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Everyone has different health goals and motivations.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This model reflects Japan’s long-standing corporate culture, which prioritizes new hires for their general potential—their aptitudes and aspirations, as opposed to their current skill sets or university majors—and then trains them on the job.—
GRACIA LIU-FARRER,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Nov. 2025
-
More money is apt to make homeschooling worse and far less tailored to the individual student and their interests and aptitudes by encouraging parents to substitute pricey group programs for the requisite effort of individualized instruction.—
Marie Sapirie,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Its formal and ontological affinities with dysfunction, fragmentation, and violence would seem to render that debt proverbial to the point of cliché.—
Ara H. Merjian,
ARTnews.com,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Today, costly and time-consuming coachbuilding acts as a mirror for the owner’s personal style and affinities, all the while displaying the status of having formed such a close connection with a brand that you’re invited to commission something singular.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The project aims to produce materials that change their mechanical properties and shape in response to external light stimuli.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
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Although attempts were made to wake her up through verbal and sternal stimuli, her difficulty breathing went unrecognized for 15 minutes.—
Michelle Lee,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impulses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impulses. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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