temperamental

[tem-per-uh-men-tl, -pruh-men-, -per-men-]

adjective

1. having or exhibiting a strongly marked, individual temperament.

2. moody, irritable, or sensitive.

   a temperamental artist.

   Synonyms: emotional, volatile, excitable

3. given to erratic behavior; unpredictable.

4. of or relating to temperament; constitutional.

   temperamental differences.

temperamental

/ -prəˈmɛntəl, ˌtɛmpərəˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. easily upset or irritated; excitable; volatile

2. of, relating to, or caused by temperament

3. informal,  working erratically and inconsistently; unreliable

   a temperamental sewing machine

Other Word Forms

• temperamentally adverb
• nontemperamental adjective
• nontemperamentally adverb
• untemperamental adjective
• untemperamentally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of temperamental¹

First recorded in 1640–50; temperament + -al ¹

Example Sentences

One lift has been out of order for a week and the other is "temperamental", residents said.

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Also, while I’m usually a brown butter devotee, it’s too temperamental here.

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"We have two cats and one of them is a bit temperamental with me, like one minute she's all right, next minute she absolutely hates me," he told police.

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But as she starts to bond with the massive, temperamental animal, Iris realizes that Apollo echoes many of the conflicting qualities she associated with Walter: demanding, impossible, achingly soulful.

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"He was definitely a lot more aggravated, a lot more temperamental, very edgy," he said.

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Related Words

• capricious 
• erratic 
• excitable 
• fickle 
• headstrong 
• high-strung 
• impatient 
• irritable 
• mercurial 
• moody 
• ornery 
• passionate 
• petulant 
• thin-skinned 
• unpredictable 
• unreliable 
• unstable 
• volatile