temperamental
Americanadjective
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having or exhibiting a strongly marked, individual temperament.
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moody, irritable, or sensitive.
a temperamental artist.
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given to erratic behavior; unpredictable.
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of or relating to temperament; constitutional.
temperamental differences.
adjective
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easily upset or irritated; excitable; volatile
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of, relating to, or caused by temperament
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informal working erratically and inconsistently; unreliable
a temperamental sewing machine
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of temperamental
First recorded in 1640–50; temperament + -al 1
Explanation
If your moods change quickly and dramatically, people might describe you as temperamental. If you weren't so temperamental, maybe your friends would open up to you more. Did I say something wrong? The adjective temperamental can also be used to describe objects that behave unpredictably. A temperamental air conditioner can make for a long, hot summer. Fortunately, you're not temperamental or you might have smashed it to bits by now. The second “e” in temperamental gets swallowed so that it sounds like "temp-ra-MENT-al" (four syllables).
Vocabulary lists containing temperamental
Into the Wild
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The Lightning Thief
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With the Fire on High
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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.
I’d also feel temperamental if Saturday Night Live made a meal out of jokes about my turkey neck week after week.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Tortorella’s an acquired taste—he can be tetchy, and the NHL isn’t always thrilled—but he and the Knights have been a temperamental match.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
An example he cited was Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory beleaguered by a temperamental power grid and excluded from congressional and presidential elections.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
"It's an economic landscape that is completely temperamental," said Anna Barker, co-founder of the firm.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
Seabiscuit’s temperamental outburst had left him hopelessly beaten, but as Pollard angled him into the stretch and asked him to get his mind back on running, Smith witnessed something he would never forget.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
