temper

American  

[tem-per] / ˈtɛm pər /

noun

• tempers
  plural

1. a particular state of mind or feelings.

   Synonyms:

   point of view, perspective, outlook, inclination, attitude, humor, frame of mind, cheer

2. habit of mind, especially with respect to irritability or patience, outbursts of anger, or the like; disposition.

   an even temper.

   Synonyms:

   temperament, spirit, nature, makeup, habit, grain, disposition

3. heat of mind or passion, shown in outbursts of anger, resentment, etc.

   Synonyms:

   petulance, irritation, irritability, crossness, annoyance, resentment

4. calm disposition or state of mind.

   to be out of temper.

   Synonyms:

   composure, equanimity

5. a substance added to something to modify its properties or qualities.

6. Metallurgy.

   1. the degree of hardness and strength imparted to a metal, as by quenching, heat treatment, or cold working.

   2. the percentage of carbon in tool steel.

   3. the operation of tempering.

7. Archaic. a middle course; compromise.

8. Obsolete. the constitution or character of a substance.

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verb (used with object)

• tempers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tempered,
  past participle,  past
• tempering
  present participle

1. to moderate or mitigate.

   to temper justice with mercy.

2. to soften or tone down.

3. to bring to a proper, suitable, or desirable state by or as by blending or admixture.

4. to moisten, mix, and work up into proper consistency, as clay or mortar.

5. Metallurgy. to impart strength or toughness to (steel or cast iron) by heating and cooling.

6. to produce internal stresses in (glass) by sudden cooling from low red heat; toughen.

7. to tune (a keyboard instrument, as a piano, organ, or harpsichord) so as to make the tones available in different keys or tonalities.

8. to modify (color) by mixing with a medium.

9. Archaic. to combine or blend in due proportions.

10. Archaic. to pacify.

verb (used without object)

• tempers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tempered,
  past participle,  past
• tempering
  present participle

1. to be or become tempered.

temper British  

/ ˈtɛmpə /

noun

1. a frame of mind; mood or humour

   a good temper

2. a sudden outburst of anger; tantrum

3. a tendency to exhibit uncontrolled anger; irritability

4. a mental condition of moderation and calm (esp in the phrases keep one's temper, lose one's temper, out of temper )

5. the degree of hardness, elasticity, or a similar property of a metal or metal object

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verb

1. to make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else; moderate

   he tempered his criticism with kindly sympathy

2. to strengthen or toughen (a metal or metal article) by heat treatment, as by heating and quenching

3. music

   1. to adjust the frequency differences between the notes of a scale on (a keyboard instrument) in order to allow modulation into other keys

   2. to make such an adjustment to the pitches of notes in (a scale)

4. a rare word for adapt

5. an archaic word for mix

temper Idioms  

1. see hold one's temper; lose one's temper.

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Synonym Usage

See disposition. See modify.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• temperability
  noun
• temperer
  noun
• retemper
  verb (used with object)
• nontemperable
  adjective
• temperable
  adjective
• untemperable
  adjective
• untempering
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tempers
  plural

Participles

• tempering
  present
• tempered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• temper
  simple
• tempers
  simple
• have tempered
  perfect
• has tempered
  perfect
• am tempering
  progressive
• are tempering
  progressive
• is tempering
  progressive
• have been tempering
  perfect progressive
• has been tempering
  perfect progressive

Past

• tempered
  simple
• had tempered
  perfect
• was tempering
  progressive
• were tempering
  progressive
• had been tempering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will temper
  simple
• will have tempered
  perfect
• will be tempering
  progressive
• will have been tempering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of temper

before 1000; (v.) Middle English tempren, Old English temprian < Latin temperāre to divide or proportion duly, temper; (noun) Middle English: proportion, derivative of the v.

Explanation

Temper can refer to a tendency to become unreasonably angry. If you’re not sure whether you have a temper, ask your friends — but don’t get mad if you dislike what they have to say. Temper has a number of related yet distinct meanings. In addition to describing a tendency to anger, temper can also refer to one’s mood in general; if you use the word in this sense, you might describe someone's temper as "angry" or "mild." Temper can also be used as a verb meaning “to restrain.” If you have a nasty temper, you might try tempering your temper by counting to ten whenever you’re tempted to throw a "temper tantrum," or fit.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

temper tempers tempered tempering

It helps me write and focus and relax and otherwise temper my mood throughout the day.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

Sunny skies will gradually temper the chill, and while most of England and Wales will stay sunny and dry on Thursday strengthening winds will bring increasing cloud to north-western parts of the UK.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

The surge in energy costs -- US diesel used in transport and agriculture topped $6 a gallon Friday -- has ramped up pressure on central banks to temper a surge in inflation.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

Children can, at times, sense their parents’ trauma surfacing in seemingly unrelated interactions, when Mom loses her temper or Dad goes silent.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026

Ben certainly isn’t perfect—we all know he has a nasty temper.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

“A loss of the incumbent’s trifecta tempers fiscal expectations, leading to a post-election rally in Treasuries,” the strategists wrote in a recent note.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

What happened to us then should be a warning to England now, because these are the kind of games where tempers can boil over and affect the result.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

The summer break, Roberts has said, is the time when tempers cool.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

"Their last meeting is what calmed tempers," she said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026

There were other people in the neighborhood who were noted for their bad tempers or downright meanness, but their actions were predictable.

From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

That tempered expectations of an imminent rate hike by the Federal Reserve, and fueled optimism on equity markets that the AI-fueled rally still has room to run.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

U.S. stocks rose after slowing jobs growth tempered expectations that the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates again later this month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

A rally in artificial-intelligence stocks was tempered by the intensifying rout in government bonds in early European trade, as investors balanced AI enthusiasm with an increasingly gloomy macroeconomic picture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Yet, the gains are tempered by some serious challenges.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

It was a meeting typical of what everyone had come to expect from Mullineaux—warnings of danger cushioned in a peaceful voice, wild fears and rumors tempered by the limits of past eruptions.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Lowe’s rose 2% despite tempering its full-year outlook, citing cooling demand for large home renovation projects.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Because faced with those competing truths, Hochman could have used prosecutorial discretion — the art of tempering the law with the mores and ethics of the community.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Annual monsoon rains are now sweeping north, with early storms tempering the blistering heat -- but also sending humidity shooting up.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

Xi said at the time that the army had "undergone revolutionary tempering in the fight against corruption".

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

Like a true gentlemouse he believed in tempering triumph with mercy.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Related Words

• abate
• allay
• alleviate
• assuage
• cool
• curb
• dilute
• ease
• lessen
• mitigate
• mollify
• restrain
• soften
• soothe
• tone down
• weaken