irresistible impulse
1
7.9
- noun
- /ˌɪrɪˈzɪstəbl ˈɪmpʌls/
:
impulso irresistible
- Did Susan Smith have, in legal parlance, the "capacity to conform her conduct to the law," or, even though she undoubtedly appreciated the wrongfulness of her act, was she in the grip of an "irresistible impulse"?
You cannot tell me that this was an irresistible impulse.
- You cannot tell me that this was an irresistible impulse.
Examples
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Must have been an irresistible impulse to bring you... ...from the seashore at this hour.
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In a moment of frustration, she acted on an irresistible impulse to shout at her boss.
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Many of his patients knew the difference between right and wrong, but felt themselves in the grip of an "irresistible impulse" that kept them from translating their knowledge into action.
Academic text (1999) -
Whether Bobbitt escaped conviction because she had a female lawyer or because evidence showed she had given in to an irresistible impulse is one of the.
Academic text (1994) -
Phrases like "irresistible impulse" or the "ability to tell right from wrong" clutter the legal terminology and have somewhat unclear and changing meanings.
Blog text (23) -
( Again, the prosecution couldn't say the desire was overpowering, since that would suggest she was incapacitated by an irresistible impulse).
Academic text (1996) -
After the arraignment, I dropped in to watch a few minutes of Chuckie's arson trial. Then, overcome by an irresistible impulse, I spent my lunch hour in Bloomingdale's and wound up with a white cashmere shawl.
Fiction book (1996) -
He couldn't resist the irresistible impulse to buy the missing piece for his collection.
-
Despite knowing he shouldn't, he felt an irresistible impulse to tell her the secret.
Synonyms
223
3.2
A strong desire to do something
192
3.8
A strong wish to do something, often something you should not do
185
3.6
A sudden strong want to do something without thinking
40
6.7
A strong urge to do something that is hard to control
A strong wish to have or try something
How Compelling
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a strong urge that cannot be controlled' is directly and transparently composed from 'irresistible' (unable to be resisted) and 'impulse' (a sudden strong urge). This straightforward compositional relation is cross-linguistically common and would be clear to an average B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Irresistible impulse comes from a simple image: irresistible means impossible to stop and impulse is a sudden push, like a strong wave or a magnet pulling you. So it means a sudden 'urge' you 'can't control' that may make you do something unwise.