short-tempered
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of short-tempered
First recorded in 1885–90
Vocabulary lists containing short-tempered
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.
Buckley said the effects of Arlo's brain injury have also changed his behaviour and personality, leaving him more short-tempered, easily frustrated and tired.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
My daughter added her laugh-out-loud imitations of me being overly bossy or short-tempered, and her grandma’s habit of asking whether we were on the right train and sitting in the right seats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
As Dick, the serious, short-tempered one, berated him for failing to acknowledge his error, he would scream in exasperation, “Mom always liked you best!”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 27, 2023
“We’ve all been hot, moody and short-tempered with each other,” Ms. Kim said, adding, “But we’re finding ways to have fun and entertain ourselves.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
I had known boys who were unpredictable and short-tempered, who roared through life like a whirlwind and never once looked back.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
