temperament

[ tem-per-uh-muhnt, -pruh-muhnt, -per-muhnt ]

/ ˈtɛm pər ə mənt, -prə mənt, -pər mənt /

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noun

the combination of mental, physical, and emotional traits of a person; natural predisposition.

unusual personal attitude or nature as manifested by peculiarities of feeling, temper, action, etc., often with a disinclination to submit to conventional rules or restraints.

(old physiology) the combination of the four cardinal humors, the relative proportions of which were supposed to determine physical and mental constitution.

Music.

the tuning of a keyboard instrument, as the piano, organ, or harpsichord, so that the instrument may be played in all keys without further tuning.
a particular system of doing this.

Archaic. an act of tempering or moderating.

Archaic. climate.

OTHER WORDS FOR temperament

1 nature, makeup.

See synonyms for temperament on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of temperament

1375–1425; late Middle English <Latin temperāmentum due mixture, equivalent to temperā(re) to mix properly + -mentum-ment

synonym study for temperament

1. See disposition.

Words nearby temperament

Tempe, tempeh, Tempelhof, temper, tempera, temperament, temperamental, temperance, temperate, Temperate Zone, temperature

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use temperament in a sentence

I’m curious if there’s any research on how a dog in daily life affects your trajectory, temperament, and so on.
Forget Everything You Know About Your Dog (Ep. 436)|Stephen J. Dubner|October 22, 2020|Freakonomics
ABA evaluators found that Barrett’s integrity, judicial temperament and academic charter “met the very high standards for appointment to the Supreme Court,” said Randall Noel, a Memphis attorney who led the review.
Barrett confirmation hearing day four: ‘We have the votes,’ McConnell says of nomination|Seung Min Kim, Donna Cassata, Karoun Demirjian|October 15, 2020|Washington Post
In those cases, kids were able to connect with adults and peers throughout childhood regardless of temperament.
‘The Origins of You’ explores how kids develop into their adult selves|Bruce Bower|September 16, 2020|Science News
Western societies, Mead concluded, had learned over time to associate specific temperaments with the social roles into which they placed the biological sexes.
Gender Is What You Make of It - Issue 88: Love & Sex|Charles King|August 5, 2020|Nautilus

Maybe just describe some either actions or temperament or handling of a term of a Fed chair in medium-recent history — last four or five, six decades, whatever — that you just particularly admire.
Fed Up (Ep. 390)|Stephen J. Dubner|September 26, 2019|Freakonomics
He throws every fiber of his being into each performance, altering his posture, elocution, temperament, and more.
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’|Marlow Stern|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He mistrusted the “shish-kebab temperament” of the conductor, the Armenian Alexander Melik-Pashayev.
When Stalin Met Lady Macbeth|Brian Moynahan|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Héctor's older brothers Arturo and Alfredo were men with the right temperament to preside over a multinational crime syndicate.
Trading Dime Bags for Salvador Dali|Jason McGahan|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was a little fairy and she flew around and she had a temperament.
The ‘Maleficent’ Screenwriter Also Wrote ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’|Kevin Fallon|June 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As left-wing biographer Rick Perlstein grants, Goldwater was a man of color-blind temperament, conviction, and personal action.
It's Not Racist to Hate Government|Nick Gillespie|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The intellectual temperament finds voice in many great expressions, which are very Dante and also very Thomas, as Par.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
The truth is, the modern "problematische Natur" has no charms for a transparent and simple temperament like his.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
We had yet to learn the temperament of a capital, where every half-hour produced a total change of the popular mind.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
This was a very strong expression of approbation, and an uncommonly hearty welcome from a person of Mr. Sikess temperament.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3)|Charles Dickens
Much has been lost by adopting equal temperament, but more has been gained.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for temperament

temperament

/ (ˈtɛmpərəmənt, -prəmənt) /

noun

an individual's character, disposition, and tendencies as revealed in his reactions

excitability, moodiness, or anger, esp when displayed openlyan actress with temperament

the characteristic way an individual behaves, esp towards other peopleSee also character, personality

an adjustment made to the frequency differences between notes on a keyboard instrument to allow modulation to other keys
any of several systems of such adjustment, such as just temperament, a system not practically possible on keyboard instruments, mean-tone temperament, a system giving an approximation to natural tuning, and equal temperament, the system commonly used in keyboard instruments, giving a scale based on an octave divided into twelve exactly equal semitonesSee also just intonation

obsolete the characteristic way an individual behaves, viewed as the result of the influence of the four humours (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile)

archaic compromise or adjustment

an obsolete word for temperature

Word Origin for temperament

C15: from Latin temperāmentum a mixing in proportion, from temperāre to temper

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

temperament

OTHER WORDS FOR temperament

Origin of temperament

synonym study for temperament

Words nearby temperament

Words related to temperament

How to use temperament in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for temperament

Word Origin for temperament