temperamental

American  

[tem-per-uh-men-tl, -pruh-men-, -per-men-] / ˌtɛm pər əˈmɛn tl, -prəˈmɛn-, -pərˈmɛn- /

adjective

1. having or exhibiting a strongly marked, individual temperament.

2. moody, irritable, or sensitive.

   a temperamental artist.

   Synonyms:

   emotional, volatile, excitable

3. given to erratic behavior; unpredictable.

4. of or relating to temperament; constitutional.

   temperamental differences.

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temperamental British  

/ -prəˈmɛntəl, ˌtɛmpərəˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. easily upset or irritated; excitable; volatile

2. of, relating to, or caused by temperament

3. informal working erratically and inconsistently; unreliable

   a temperamental sewing machine

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Other Word Forms

• nontemperamental adjective
• nontemperamentally adverb
• temperamentally adverb
• untemperamental adjective
• untemperamentally adverb

Etymology

Origin of temperamental

First recorded in 1640–50; temperament + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Nonetheless, today they rank as one of Egypt’s most important—if temperamental—food crops.

From The Wall Street Journal

As Frank Costanza, the temperamental father of Jason Alexander’s George Costanza, Stiller’s boisterous personality and comic timing stole scenes and scored the actor an Emmy nomination, 40 years into his career.

From Salon

One lift has been out of order for a week and the other is "temperamental", residents said.

From BBC

Also, while I’m usually a brown butter devotee, it’s too temperamental here.

From Salon

"We have two cats and one of them is a bit temperamental with me, like one minute she's all right, next minute she absolutely hates me," he told police.

From BBC

Related Words

• capricious
• erratic
• excitable
• fickle
• headstrong
• high-strung
• impatient
• irritable
• mercurial
• moody
• ornery
• passionate
• petulant
• thin-skinned
• unpredictable
• unreliable
• unstable
• volatile