temperament

American  

[tem-per-uh-muhnt, -pruh-muhnt, -per-muhnt] / ˈtɛm pər ə mənt, -prə mənt, -pər mənt /

noun

• temperaments
  plural

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

   Synonyms:

   makeup, nature

2. 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.

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

4. Music.

   1. 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.

   2. a particular system of doing this.

5. Archaic. an act of tempering or moderating.

6. Archaic. climate.

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temperament British  

/ ˈtɛmpərəmənt, -prəmənt /

noun

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

2. excitability, moodiness, or anger, esp when displayed openly

   an actress with temperament

3. the characteristic way an individual behaves, esp towards other people See also character personality

4. 1. an adjustment made to the frequency differences between notes on a keyboard instrument to allow modulation to other keys

   2. 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 semitones See also just intonation

5. 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)

6. archaic compromise or adjustment

7. an obsolete word for temperature

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Synonym Usage

See disposition.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• temperaments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of temperament

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

Explanation

While a mood can change, your temperament is your overall tone most of the time. Just like dogs, people have temperaments: some are aggressive; some are playful; and some are just happy to carry your slippers. Just as a temperature gives a reading of how hot or cold something is, your temperament gives a reading of your disposition, or general outlook. Some folks with optimistic temperaments see that glass as half full; other more pessimistic folks see it as half empty. And there are still others who prefer to drink straight from the bottle.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

temperament temperaments

It’s just as relatable to see why two people decide to call it quits because of luck, timing and temperament as it is watching them happily pair off.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

In terms of temperament, what stood out, considering the context of our conversations, was how mild-mannered he seemed.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

Talent often comes saddled with a high-school temperament and watchful parents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

"The resignation is definitely a surprise, because it is not in Mr. Modi's temperament to take a back step," analyst Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, who has written Modi's biography, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Rumsey closed with an appeal for nurturing the artistic temperament in young and old alike, “to stoke that Apollonian ember in all mortal beings.”

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

A key to Mr. Barnes’s books is that in style as well as form he is a hybridizer, able to combine seemingly contrary temperaments into a single writing voice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

"They all had quite different temperaments for different points in the film," she noted.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2025

Subsequent synthetics display a range of temperaments, from Lance Henriksen’s Bishop, realistic enough to pass for human, to Michael Fassbender’s David 8, the earliest Weyland-Yutani invention to achieve a lifelike version of artificial intelligence.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2025

"You have to find out all the temperaments, the couple's ideas, how well this would match and then put your plan together."

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025

Some modern musicians advocate performing such pieces using well temperaments, in order to better understand and appreciate them.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• attitude
• ego
• humor
• idiosyncrasy
• inclination
• individuality
• intellect
• mentality
• mettle
• mood
• nature
• outlook
• quality
• spirit
• tendency