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short-tempered

[shawrt-tem-perd]
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adjective
  1. having a quick, hasty temper; irascible.
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Origin of short-tempered

First recorded in 1885–90

Synonyms

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irritable, testy, choleric, waspish.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

cantankerous, choleric, crabby, gruff, harsh, irascible, irritable, snappish, testy, cranky, crotchety, fiery, grouchy, hot-tempered, ill-tempered, impatient, quick-tempered, snappy, temperamental, touchy

Examples from the Web for short-tempered

Historical Examples

  • He was ever a short-tempered man, intolerant of irrelevancies.

    Mistress Wilding

    Rafael Sabatini

  • He was a short-tempered man of no great manners, and he only grunted his response.

    John Splendid

    Neil Munro

  • “I wish to apologize for being so short-tempered this morning,” he began.

    The Cricket

    Marjorie Cooke

  • In the morning they will often be sullen and short-tempered.

  • I'll get blamed if you go, and he's short-tempered this morning.

    Hobson's Choice

    Harold Brighouse

British Dictionary definitions for short-tempered

short-tempered

adjective
  1. easily moved to anger; irascible
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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