temper

American  

[tem-per] / ˈtɛm pər /

noun

• tempers
  plural

1. a particular state of mind or feelings.

   Synonyms:

   point of view, perspective, outlook, inclination, attitude, humor, frame of mind, cheer

2. habit of mind, especially with respect to irritability or patience, outbursts of anger, or the like; disposition.

   an even temper.

   Synonyms:

   temperament, spirit, nature, makeup, habit, grain, disposition

3. heat of mind or passion, shown in outbursts of anger, resentment, etc.

   Synonyms:

   petulance, irritation, irritability, crossness, annoyance, resentment

4. calm disposition or state of mind.

   to be out of temper.

   Synonyms:

   composure, equanimity

5. a substance added to something to modify its properties or qualities.

6. Metallurgy.

   1. the degree of hardness and strength imparted to a metal, as by quenching, heat treatment, or cold working.

   2. the percentage of carbon in tool steel.

   3. the operation of tempering.

7. Archaic. a middle course; compromise.

8. Obsolete. the constitution or character of a substance.

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verb (used with object)

• tempers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tempered,
  past participle,  past
• tempering
  present participle

1. to moderate or mitigate.

   to temper justice with mercy.

2. to soften or tone down.

3. to bring to a proper, suitable, or desirable state by or as by blending or admixture.

4. to moisten, mix, and work up into proper consistency, as clay or mortar.

5. Metallurgy. to impart strength or toughness to (steel or cast iron) by heating and cooling.

6. to produce internal stresses in (glass) by sudden cooling from low red heat; toughen.

7. to tune (a keyboard instrument, as a piano, organ, or harpsichord) so as to make the tones available in different keys or tonalities.

8. to modify (color) by mixing with a medium.

9. Archaic. to combine or blend in due proportions.

10. Archaic. to pacify.

verb (used without object)

• tempers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tempered,
  past participle,  past
• tempering
  present participle

1. to be or become tempered.

temper British  

/ ˈtɛmpə /

noun

1. a frame of mind; mood or humour

   a good temper

2. a sudden outburst of anger; tantrum

3. a tendency to exhibit uncontrolled anger; irritability

4. a mental condition of moderation and calm (esp in the phrases keep one's temper, lose one's temper, out of temper )

5. the degree of hardness, elasticity, or a similar property of a metal or metal object

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verb

1. to make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else; moderate

   he tempered his criticism with kindly sympathy

2. to strengthen or toughen (a metal or metal article) by heat treatment, as by heating and quenching

3. music

   1. to adjust the frequency differences between the notes of a scale on (a keyboard instrument) in order to allow modulation into other keys

   2. to make such an adjustment to the pitches of notes in (a scale)

4. a rare word for adapt

5. an archaic word for mix

temper Idioms  

1. see hold one's temper; lose one's temper.

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Synonym Usage

See disposition. See modify.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• temperability
  noun
• temperer
  noun
• retemper
  verb (used with object)
• nontemperable
  adjective
• temperable
  adjective
• untemperable
  adjective
• untempering
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tempers
  plural

Participles

• tempering
  present
• tempered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• temper
  simple
• tempers
  simple
• have tempered
  perfect
• has tempered
  perfect
• am tempering
  progressive
• are tempering
  progressive
• is tempering
  progressive
• have been tempering
  perfect progressive
• has been tempering
  perfect progressive

Past

• tempered
  simple
• had tempered
  perfect
• was tempering
  progressive
• were tempering
  progressive
• had been tempering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will temper
  simple
• will have tempered
  perfect
• will be tempering
  progressive
• will have been tempering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of temper

before 1000; (v.) Middle English tempren, Old English temprian < Latin temperāre to divide or proportion duly, temper; (noun) Middle English: proportion, derivative of the v.

Explanation

Temper can refer to a tendency to become unreasonably angry. If you’re not sure whether you have a temper, ask your friends — but don’t get mad if you dislike what they have to say. Temper has a number of related yet distinct meanings. In addition to describing a tendency to anger, temper can also refer to one’s mood in general; if you use the word in this sense, you might describe someone's temper as "angry" or "mild." Temper can also be used as a verb meaning “to restrain.” If you have a nasty temper, you might try tempering your temper by counting to ten whenever you’re tempted to throw a "temper tantrum," or fit.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

temper tempers tempered tempering

“That said, volatility in user growth due to external factors is likely to temper some excitement on the shares in the near term.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Meanwhile, Europe has been in the grips of its own heat wave—with far less air conditioning to temper it—that has closed schools and strained electrical grids.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

In the build-up to the convention, though, the Washington Post reported on some stories from Maine that had been bubbling up on social media about his temper and shouting matches with fellow lawmakers.

From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026

But Marino and Wain wisely temper this punchline throughout their script.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

Much to Bobby’s consternation, Regina insisted that he have a psychological evaluation to determine whether something could or should be done to temper his relentless preoccupation with the game.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

"Their last meeting is what calmed tempers," she said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026

Wilson, who has a personal relationship with Hegseth that likely tempers his typical inflammatory rhetoric, was more delicate.

From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2026

Persistent caution tempers expectations for a dramatic consumption-led rebound.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 26, 2026

Runna is testing a new feature called Not Feeling 100%, which tempers your plan when you’re sick, feeling pain or just busy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026

Keep your tempers and hold your hands to the last possible moment!’

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

The market response to the data was tempered by concerns that inflation relief could be short-lived.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

The excitement over the Dodgers getting Tarik Skubal should be tempered by a couple of factors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

The relief at the numbat's revival is tempered by worry this will make it harder to access the funding and support needed to cement those gains.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines tempered their guidances for the year to reflect volatile fuel prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Jackie had a general belief in God, tempered by a scientist’s view of the world.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Hyperscalers look attractive on the view that investors could see more tempering of capital expenditure, given poor stock performances in the past few months.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

The L.A. market “faces several challenges that are tempering hotel performance expectations,” said Ralph Posner, chief communications officer for the American Hotel and Lodging Assn.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026

Xi said at the time that the army had "undergone revolutionary tempering in the fight against corruption".

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

But Borgli is testing how capable audiences are of tempering their knee-jerk reactions.

From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2026

In the autumn the leaves flamed and rat- fled before the west winds, tempering their sad atheu with glory.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• abate
• allay
• alleviate
• assuage
• cool
• curb
• dilute
• ease
• lessen
• mitigate
• mollify
• restrain
• soften
• soothe
• tone down
• weaken