disposition

[ dis-puh-zish-uhn ]

/ ˌdɪs pəˈzɪʃ ən /

noun

the predominant or prevailing tendency of one's spirits; natural mental and emotional outlook or mood; characteristic attitude: a girl with a pleasant disposition.

state of mind regarding something; inclination: a disposition to gamble.

physical inclination or tendency: the disposition of ice to melt when heated.

arrangement or placing, as of troops or buildings.

final settlement of a matter.

bestowal, as by gift or sale.

power to make decisions about or dispose of a thing; control: funds at one's disposition.

regulation; management; dispensation: the disposition of God.

Nearby words

disposal, dispose, dispose of, disposed, disposer, disposition, dispositive, dispossess, dispossessed, dispossession, disposure

Origin of disposition

1325–75; Middle English disposicioun (< Anglo-French) < Latin dispositiōn- (stem of dispositiō), equivalent to disposit(us) (past participle of dispōnere to distribute; dispos- (see dispose) + -itus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

SYNONYMS FOR disposition

1 nature, character, humor.

2 bent, tendency, predisposition, proclivity.

4 order, grouping, location, placement.

5 outcome, result.

7 control, direction.

ANTONYMS FOR disposition

2 unwillingness.

Related formsdis·po·si·tion·al, adjectivere·dis·po·si·tion, noun

Synonym study

1. Disposition, temper, temperament refer to the aspects and habits of mind and emotion that one displays over a length of time. Disposition is the natural or prevailing aspect of one's mind as shown in behavior and in relationships with others: a happy disposition; a selfish disposition. Temper sometimes denotes the essential quality of one's nature: a glacial temper; usually it has to do with propensity toward anger: an even temper; a quick or hot temper. Temperament refers to the particular balance of emotions determining a person's character: an artistic temperament.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dispositional

But since Conor focuses more on the positive attributes of “dispositional” religion, I want to give most of my attention to that.
The Illusory Promise of Apolitical Theology|David Sessions|June 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Olsen divides GOP primary voters into two camps—“dispositional conservatives” and “ideological conservatives.”
Rick's Still Beating Mitt|Michael Tomasky|September 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The one etiological group then becomes split up into two which may be designated as the dispositional and the definitive groups.
Three Contributions to the Theory of Sex|Sigmund Freud

British Dictionary definitions for dispositional

disposition

/ (ˌdɪspəˈzɪʃən) /

noun

a person's usual temperament or frame of mind

a natural or acquired tendency, inclination, or habit in a person or thing

another word for disposal (def. 2), disposal (def. 3), disposal (def. 4), disposal (def. 5)

philosophy logic a property that consists not in the present state of an object, but in its propensity to change in a certain way under certain conditions, as brittleness which consists in the propensity to break when struckCompare occurrent

archaic manner of placing or arranging

Derived Formsdispositional, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

disposition

noun

RELATED CONTENT

Nearby words

Origin of disposition

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for dispositional

British Dictionary definitions for dispositional

disposition

noun