temperamental

[ tem-per-uh-men-tl, -pruh-men-, -per-men- ]

/ ˌtɛm pər əˈmɛn tl, -prəˈmɛn-, -pərˈmɛn- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR temperamental ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having or exhibiting a strongly marked, individual temperament.

moody, irritable, or sensitive: a temperamental artist.

given to erratic behavior; unpredictable.

of or relating to temperament; constitutional: temperamental differences.

Nearby words

temper, temper color, temper tantrum, tempera, temperament, temperamental, temperamentally, temperance, temperate, temperate bacteriophage, temperate zone

Origin of temperamental

First recorded in 1640–50; temperament + -al¹

SYNONYMS FOR temperamental

2 excitable, volatile, emotional.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR temperamental ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

tem·per·a·men·tal·ly, adverbnon·tem·per·a·men·tal, adjectivenon·tem·per·a·men·tal·ly, adverbun·tem·per·a·men·tal, adjective

un·tem·per·a·men·tal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for temperamental

Both a rocket engine with a temperamental record and an airframe of revolutionary design and construction had to be proved safe.
Virgin Galactic’s Flight Path to Disaster: A Clash of High Risk and Hyperbole|Clive Irving|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His father could be temperamental and misogynistic, but the family was never plagued with major money-laundering or sex scandals.
Frank Schaeffer, the Atheist Who Believes in God|Nick Tabor|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In addition to his temperamental aversion to populism, Roosevelt also had a practical reason to be cautious.
The GOP’s Last Identity Crisis Remade U.S. Politics|Michael Wolraich|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There, Armstrong became famous for flying the dangerous and temperamental X-15 rocket plane.
Buzz Aldrin: Neil Armstrong Was ‘The Best Pilot I Ever Knew’|Taylor Dinerman|August 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST

If a writer is by definition a temperamental soul, than a Russian writer represents perhaps a most temperamental soul.
‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette,’ ‘The Black Rhinos of Namibia,’ ‘The Wives’|Nicholas Mancusi|August 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
They do, in truth, differ widely from the works which they succeeded, but the difference is not temperamental.
French Art|W. C. Brownell
Perhaps she implied the temperamental little thing found herself in a class, all by herself, in this regard.
Nothing But the Truth|Frederic S. Isham
To temperamental pairing, he declared, the century owed its breed of decadents.
The Pool in the Desert|Sara Jeanette Duncan
All this evidence of my temperamental instability alarms and distresses me on reflection and makes the soul weary.
The Journal of a Disappointed Man|Wilhelm Nero Pilate Barbellion
"He seems a temperamental person," Mr. Stott replied, evasively.
The Dude Wrangler|Caroline Lockhart

British Dictionary definitions for temperamental

temperamental

/ (ˌtɛmpərəˈmɛntəl, -prəˈmɛntəl) /

adjective

easily upset or irritated; excitable; volatile

of, relating to, or caused by temperament

informal working erratically and inconsistently; unreliablea temperamental sewing machine

Derived Formstemperamentally, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for temperamental

temperamental

adj.

"of or pertaining to temperament," 1640s, from temperament; in the sense of "moody" it is recorded from 1907.

temperamental

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of temperamental

Examples from the Web for temperamental

British Dictionary definitions for temperamental

temperamental

adjective

Word Origin and History for temperamental

temperamental