temperament
Americannoun
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the combination of mental, physical, and emotional traits of a person; natural predisposition.
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unusual personal attitude or nature as manifested by peculiarities of feeling, temper, action, etc., often with a disinclination to submit to conventional rules or restraints.
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(old physiology) the combination of the four cardinal humors, the relative proportions of which were supposed to determine physical and mental constitution.
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Music.
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the tuning of a keyboard instrument, as the piano, organ, or harpsichord, so that the instrument may be played in all keys without further tuning.
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a particular system of doing this.
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Archaic. an act of tempering or moderating.
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Archaic. climate.
noun
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an individual's character, disposition, and tendencies as revealed in his reactions
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excitability, moodiness, or anger, esp when displayed openly
an actress with temperament
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the characteristic way an individual behaves, esp towards other people See also character personality
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an adjustment made to the frequency differences between notes on a keyboard instrument to allow modulation to other keys
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any of several systems of such adjustment, such as just temperament, a system not practically possible on keyboard instruments, mean-tone temperament, a system giving an approximation to natural tuning, and equal temperament, the system commonly used in keyboard instruments, giving a scale based on an octave divided into twelve exactly equal semitones See also just intonation
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obsolete the characteristic way an individual behaves, viewed as the result of the influence of the four humours (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile)
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archaic compromise or adjustment
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an obsolete word for temperature
Synonym Usage
See disposition.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of temperament
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin temperāmentum due mixture, equivalent to temperā ( re ) to mix properly + -mentum -ment
Explanation
While a mood can change, your temperament is your overall tone most of the time. Just like dogs, people have temperaments: some are aggressive; some are playful; and some are just happy to carry your slippers. Just as a temperature gives a reading of how hot or cold something is, your temperament gives a reading of your disposition, or general outlook. Some folks with optimistic temperaments see that glass as half full; other more pessimistic folks see it as half empty. And there are still others who prefer to drink straight from the bottle.
Vocabulary lists containing temperament
"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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"The Mixer," Vocabulary from the short story
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Vocabulary from the First Presidential Debate: September 26, 2016
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“What am I really moving toward that aligns with my values and temperament? We need to have a concrete version of that so we can find something that’s a better fit.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Conservative intellectuals in the U.S. appropriated Disraeli as an exemplar of temperament and principle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
"I've known and respected Jay Clayton for decades. His intelligence, temperament and deep commitment to public service will make him a terrific DNI," added Jim Hines, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
"It took some time for him to feel relaxed. His temperament is really more of an introvert player," Deschamps added.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
They brought rain, but depending on the dragon’s temperament, it could be good rain or bad rain.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
A key to Mr. Barnes’s books is that in style as well as form he is a hybridizer, able to combine seemingly contrary temperaments into a single writing voice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
"They all had quite different temperaments for different points in the film," she noted.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2025
Subsequent synthetics display a range of temperaments, from Lance Henriksen’s Bishop, realistic enough to pass for human, to Michael Fassbender’s David 8, the earliest Weyland-Yutani invention to achieve a lifelike version of artificial intelligence.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2025
Some are wildly extravagant, proliferating heads and arms into delirious phantasms of multiple personality and manifold temperaments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2025
Just like that, there are new heads on new pillows—new temperaments, new dreams.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
