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Desire vs Impulsive - What's the difference?

desire | impulsive |

As nouns the difference between desire and impulsive

is that desire is someone or something wished for while impulsive is that which impels or gives an impulse; an impelling agent.

As a verb desire

is to want; to wish for earnestly.

As an adjective impulsive is

having the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent.

desire

English

Verb

(desir)
  • To want; to wish for earnestly.
  • * Bible, Exodus xxxiv. 24
    • Neither shall any man desire thy land.
  • * Tennyson
    • Ye desire your child to live.
  • To put a request to (someone); to entreat.
  • * 1526 , (William Tyndale), trans. Bible , Acts XIII:
    • And when they founde no cause of deeth in hym, yet desired they Pilate to kyll him.
  • *
    • , title=The Mirror and the Lamp , chapter=2 citation , passage=That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired .}}
  • To want emotionally or sexually.
  • To express a wish for; to entreat; to request.
  • * Bible, 2 Kings iv. 28
    • Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord?
  • * Shakespeare
    • Desire him to go in; trouble him no more.
  • To require; to demand; to claim.
  • * Spenser
    • A doleful case desires a doleful song.
  • To miss; to regret.
  • * Jeremy Taylor
    • She shall be pleasant while she lives, and desired when she dies.

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • (countable) Someone or something wished for.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author=David Simpson
    • , volume=188, issue=26, page=36, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Fantasy of navigation , passage=It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: perhaps out of a desire to escape the gravity of this world or to get a preview of the next; […].}}
  • (uncountable) Strong attraction, particularly romantic or sexual.
  • (uncountable) Motivation.
  • (uncountable) The feeling of desire.

    • Synonyms

    * (one or thing wished for) wanna, want-to * (motivation) wanna, want-to

    See also

    * velleity

    Related terms

    * desirable * desirous

    Statistics

    *

    External links

    * *

    Anagrams

    * * English control verbs

    impulsive

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Having the power of driving or impelling; giving an impulse; moving; impellent.
  • * Prior
    • Poor men! poor papers! We and they / Do some impulsive force obey.
  • Actuated by impulse or by transient feelings; inclined to make rapid decisions without due consideration.
  • * Longfellow
    • my heart, impulsive and wayward
  • (mechanics) Acting momentarily, or by impulse; not continuous – said of forces.

    • Related terms

    * impulse * impulsion * impulsively * impulsiveness * impulsor

    References

    * *

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • That which impels or gives an impulse; an impelling agent.
  • One whose behaviour or personality is characterized by being impulsive.
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