Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [im-pakt-fuh l]
- /ɪmˈpækt fəl/
- /ˈɪm.pækt.fəl/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [im-pakt-fuh l]
- /ɪmˈpækt fəl/
Definitions of impactful word
- adjective impactful having or manifesting a great impact or effect: After the senator's impactful speech, her bill passed. 1
- noun impactful Impactful is one of those words that somehow arouse intense disdain, especially among editors and other would-be guardians of English. According to its critics, the word exemplifies “bad, ugly usage.” They call it “barbarous,” dismiss it as “a meaningless buzzword,” and hate it so much that they extend their contempt of the word to contempt for its users. Some justify their scorn by saying that the word lacks the original meaning of the suffix -ful—“full of”— as in remorseful or wrathful. But impactful, when it entered English in the mid-1960's, was formed and construed in the same way as other well-established adjectives ending in -ful. In fact, as the Oxford English Dictionary points out, the “full of” sense is considerably weakened in a large number of these -ful adjectives. Instead, the suffix is interpreted as “having” or “characterized by,” as in beautiful, lawful, or graceful. In other common adjectives, -ful can even be glossed as “causing feelings of,” as in wonderful and dreadful. Both of these senses of -ful work perfectly well with the noun impact. The aversion to impactful is reinforced by the distaste some people have for its root impact, especially when that word is used as a verb. (See usage note at impact). But if impactful is indeed derived from the verb rather than the noun—which is not a certainty—there is nothing ungrammatical about that. When added to a verb, -ful has the meaning “apt to” or “able to,” as in mournful, wakeful, forgetful, and worshipful. Impactful may eventually settle into the language in similar fashion. In sum, impactful entered English as a normal part of language growth and change, and there is no legitimate linguistic reason to reject it. Although there are alternative words available, English welcomes synonymy. And although the negative reactions to impactful may well be further encouraged by a sense that it is commonly found in so-called business-speak or other jargon-filled contexts, in truth the word, from its beginnings, has also been recorded in reputable newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and books. Nevertheless, the very fact that so many people have passionate, unyielding objections to impactful makes it advisable to think twice before using it in contexts where it might not be accepted. Perhaps its variant impactive, with exactly the same meaning, is less likely to raise hackles. However, the “-ive” form appears in print only about one-fourth as often as the controversial impactful. 1
- noun impactful Having a major impact or effect. 1
- adjective impactful having a powerful effect or making a strong impression 0
- adjective impactful Having impact. 0
Information block about the term
Origin of impactful
First appearance:
before 1960 One of the 3% newest English words
First recorded in 1960-65; impact + -ful
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Impactful
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
impactful popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 90% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.
impactful usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for impactful
adj impactful
- impressive — having the ability to impress the mind; arousing admiration, awe, respect, etc.; moving; admirable: an impressive ceremony; an impressive appearance.
- poignant — keenly distressing to the feelings: poignant regret.
- stunning — causing, capable of causing, or liable to cause astonishment, bewilderment, or a loss of consciousness or strength: a stunning blow.
- effective — adequate to accomplish a purpose; producing the intended or expected result: effective teaching methods; effective steps toward peace.
- sympathetic — characterized by, proceeding from, exhibiting, or feeling sympathy; sympathizing; compassionate: a sympathetic listener.
Antonyms for impactful
adj impactful
- uninteresting — engaging or exciting and holding the attention or curiosity: an interesting book.
- unmoving — not moving; still; motionless.
- unimpressive — having the ability to impress the mind; arousing admiration, awe, respect, etc.; moving; admirable: an impressive ceremony; an impressive appearance.
- unemotional — pertaining to or involving emotion or the emotions.
- unaffecting — moving or exciting the feelings or emotions.
Top questions with impactful
- what is impactful?
- how to make an impactful presentation?
- how to make impactful presentations?
- what does impactful mean?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with i
- Words starting with im
- Words starting with imp
- Words starting with impa
- Words starting with impac
- Words starting with impact
- Words starting with impactf
- Words starting with impactfu
- Words starting with impactful