temperament

noun

tem·per·a·ment ˈtem-p(ə-)rə-mənt How to pronounce temperament (audio)

-pər-mənt

: characteristic or habitual inclination or mode of emotional response

a nervous temperament

: extremely high sensibility

especially : excessive sensitiveness or irritability

: the peculiar or distinguishing mental or physical character determined by the relative proportions of the humors according to medieval physiology

: the act or process of tempering or modifying : adjustment, compromise

: middle course : mean

: the slight modification of acoustically pure intervals in tuning a musical instrument

especially : modification that produces a set of 12 equally spaced tones to the octave

obsolete

: constitution of a substance, body, or organism with respect to the mixture or balance of its elements, qualities, or parts : makeup

: complexion sense 1

obsolete

: climate

: temperature sense 1

Did you know?

Why is temperament spelled the way it is?

Blame Latin.

Like the related noun temper (which most often refers to a person's tendency to become angry, but also has a neutral sense very close to that of temperament, among other meanings) temperament traces back to a Latin word, temperare, which means "to mix or blend." The a in temperare lives on in the modern spelling of temperament.

Temperament is an old word (it dates to the 15th century) with multiple meanings, but in modern use it typically refers to the usual attitude, mood, or behavior of a person or animal. If you're adopting a dog, you might look for one with a sweet temperament; you might describe someone who is often nervous as having a nervous temperament.

Did you know?

What is the difference between disposition and predisposition?

What exactly is someone's disposition? And is it different from a predisposition? A person's disposition is his or her usual mood or attitude. Are you typically pretty happy? You could be described as having a happy—or cheerful, or sunny—disposition. Animals have dispositions too; a dog with a nervous disposition doesn't easily relax into a restful pup curled up at someone’s feet. In this use, disposition is a synonym of temperament; both words refer to the complex set of attitudes and inclinations that guide behavior.

Disposition can also mean "tendency" or "inclination," and in such cases it has a surprising synonym: predisposition. A disposition to exaggerate is the same as a predisposition to exaggerate. A disposition toward humility is likewise the same thing as a predisposition toward humility. The fact of being "in advance" that the prefix pre- implies hardly matters when tendency and inclination are concerned, since both concern what is likely to happen in the future.

While phrases like "a disposition to cooperate" are about as common as "a predisposition to cooperate," when the context is medical, predisposition is far more common. Phrases like "a genetic predisposition to nearsightedness" appear much more frequently in published, edited text than similar phrases employing disposition.

Example Sentences

The two women were opposite in temperament. looking for a dog with a sweet temperament

Recent Examples on the Web What's not included in these presentations is much guidance on what kind of monsoon temperament to expect.

Joan Meiners, The Arizona Republic, 15 June 2022 Still, the primary is a test of what kind of temperament in office and governing approach Republican voters find acceptable.

Joshua Jamerson, WSJ, 23 May 2022 But Powell has a first class temperament and deep experience in financial markets.

David Meyer, Fortune, 17 Mar. 2022 Write about a refined single woman with a melancholy temperament and an exquisite sensibility moving languidly through her beautiful old European city, and a certain amount of romanticizing is all but inescapable.

Sigrid Nunez, The New York Review of Books, 11 May 2021 Directors and curators find that Millennial staffers lack critical-thinking skills, temperament, and perspective.

Brian T. Allen, National Review, 7 July 2022 While every company is unique and none can accurately predict the temperament of the market before filing an S-1, there are valuable lessons to help guide this arduous process.

Michael Praeger, Forbes, 9 June 2022 Prosecutors drilled down into the amnesia defense, missing gun barrel and the emotional temperament of Nancy Crampton Brophy as the Oregon romance writer’s trial in the killing of her chef husband reached a crescendo Tuesday.

oregonlive, 17 May 2022 For the first time in two off-seasons, the Packers, one of the league’s oldest and most-storied franchises, can divert attention to other matters rather than wondering about the temperament of their star quarterback.

New York Times, 14 Mar. 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "regulation of the body's vital spirit, proportion of humors in the body," borrowed from Latin temperāmentum "mixture of substances in proper proportion, mean between hot and cold, compromise between extremes, moderation" (Medieval Latin, "proper balance of bodily humors"), from temperāre "to moderate, bring to a proper strength or consistency by mixing, maintain in a state of balance" + -mentum -ment — more at temper entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

temperament

noun

as in temper

one's characteristic attitude or mood looking for a dog with a sweet temperament

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

temper
disposition
attitude
personality
nature
outlook
mind
grain
spirit
heart
opinion
inclination
habit
tone
viewpoint
perspective
emotion
humor
mode
standpoint
feeling
belief
angle
conviction
frame
judgment
mind-set
sensitivity
sentiment
slant
responsiveness
expression
view
sensitiveness
identity
sensibility
strain
persuasion
judgement
character
individuality
cheer
vein
passion
mettle
setup
notion
makeup
selfhood
self-identity

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of temperament are character, disposition, personality, and temper. While all these words mean "the dominant quality or qualities distinguishing a person or group," temperament implies a pattern of innate characteristics associated with one's specific physical and nervous organization.

an artistic temperament

While in some cases nearly identical to temperament, character applies to the aggregate of moral qualities by which a person is judged apart from intelligence, competence, or special talents.

strength of character

While the synonyms disposition and temperament are close in meaning, disposition implies customary moods and attitude toward the life around one.

a cheerful disposition

The words personality and temperament are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, personality applies to an aggregate of qualities that distinguish one as a person.

a somber personality

The meanings of temper and temperament largely overlap; however, temper implies the qualities acquired through experience that determine how a person or group meets difficulties or handles situations.

a resilient temper

单词	temperament
释义	temperament noun tem·per·a·ment ˈtem-p(ə-)rə-mənt -pər-mənt 1 a : characteristic or habitual inclination or mode of emotional response a nervous temperament b : extremely high sensibility especially : excessive sensitiveness or irritability c : the peculiar or distinguishing mental or physical character determined by the relative proportions of the humors according to medieval physiology 2 a : the act or process of tempering or modifying : adjustment, compromise b : middle course : mean 3 : the slight modification of acoustically pure intervals in tuning a musical instrument especially : modification that produces a set of 12 equally spaced tones to the octave 4 obsolete a : constitution of a substance, body, or organism with respect to the mixture or balance of its elements, qualities, or parts : makeup b : complexion sense 1 5 obsolete a : climate b : temperature sense 1 Did you know? Why is temperament spelled the way it is? Blame Latin. Like the related noun temper (which most often refers to a person's tendency to become angry, but also has a neutral sense very close to that of temperament, among other meanings) temperament traces back to a Latin word, temperare, which means "to mix or blend." The a in temperare lives on in the modern spelling of temperament. Temperament is an old word (it dates to the 15th century) with multiple meanings, but in modern use it typically refers to the usual attitude, mood, or behavior of a person or animal. If you're adopting a dog, you might look for one with a sweet temperament; you might describe someone who is often nervous as having a nervous temperament. Did you know? What is the difference between disposition and predisposition? What exactly is someone's disposition? And is it different from a predisposition? A person's disposition is his or her usual mood or attitude. Are you typically pretty happy? You could be described as having a happy—or cheerful, or sunny—disposition. Animals have dispositions too; a dog with a nervous disposition doesn't easily relax into a restful pup curled up at someone’s feet. In this use, disposition is a synonym of temperament; both words refer to the complex set of attitudes and inclinations that guide behavior. Disposition can also mean "tendency" or "inclination," and in such cases it has a surprising synonym: predisposition. A disposition to exaggerate is the same as a predisposition to exaggerate. A disposition toward humility is likewise the same thing as a predisposition toward humility. The fact of being "in advance" that the prefix pre- implies hardly matters when tendency and inclination are concerned, since both concern what is likely to happen in the future. While phrases like "a disposition to cooperate" are about as common as "a predisposition to cooperate," when the context is medical, predisposition is far more common. Phrases like "a genetic predisposition to nearsightedness" appear much more frequently in published, edited text than similar phrases employing disposition. Synonyms disposition grain nature temper See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences The two women were opposite in temperament. looking for a dog with a sweet temperament Recent Examples on the Web What's not included in these presentations is much guidance on what kind of monsoon temperament to expect. Joan Meiners, The Arizona Republic, 15 June 2022 Still, the primary is a test of what kind of temperament in office and governing approach Republican voters find acceptable. Joshua Jamerson, WSJ, 23 May 2022 But Powell has a first class temperament and deep experience in financial markets. David Meyer, Fortune, 17 Mar. 2022 Write about a refined single woman with a melancholy temperament and an exquisite sensibility moving languidly through her beautiful old European city, and a certain amount of romanticizing is all but inescapable. Sigrid Nunez, The New York Review of Books, 11 May 2021 Directors and curators find that Millennial staffers lack critical-thinking skills, temperament, and perspective. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 7 July 2022 While every company is unique and none can accurately predict the temperament of the market before filing an S-1, there are valuable lessons to help guide this arduous process. Michael Praeger, Forbes, 9 June 2022 Prosecutors drilled down into the amnesia defense, missing gun barrel and the emotional temperament of Nancy Crampton Brophy as the Oregon romance writer’s trial in the killing of her chef husband reached a crescendo Tuesday. oregonlive, 17 May 2022 For the first time in two off-seasons, the Packers, one of the league’s oldest and most-storied franchises, can divert attention to other matters rather than wondering about the temperament of their star quarterback. New York Times, 14 Mar. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Middle English, "regulation of the body's vital spirit, proportion of humors in the body," borrowed from Latin temperāmentum "mixture of substances in proper proportion, mean between hot and cold, compromise between extremes, moderation" (Medieval Latin, "proper balance of bodily humors"), from temperāre "to moderate, bring to a proper strength or consistency by mixing, maintain in a state of balance" + -mentum -ment — more at temper entry 2 First Known Use 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4 Kids Definition temperament noun tem·per·a·ment ˈtem-pə-rə-mənt -prə-mənt : a person's attitude as it affects what he or she says or does "Size has nothing to do with it. It's temperament and ability that count." E. B. White, Stuart Little Medical Definition temperament noun tem·per·a·ment ˈtem-p(ə-)rə-mənt, -pər-mənt 1 : the peculiar or distinguishing mental or physical character determined by the relative proportions of the humors according to medieval physiology 2 : characteristic or habitual inclination or mode of emotional response a nervous temperament temperament noun as in temper one's characteristic attitude or mood looking for a dog with a sweet temperament Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance temper disposition attitude personality nature outlook mind grain spirit heart opinion inclination habit tone viewpoint perspective emotion humor mode standpoint feeling belief angle conviction frame judgment mind-set sensitivity sentiment slant responsiveness expression view sensitiveness identity sensibility strain persuasion judgement character individuality cheer vein passion mettle setup notion makeup selfhood self-identity Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of temperament are character, disposition, personality, and temper. While all these words mean "the dominant quality or qualities distinguishing a person or group," temperament implies a pattern of innate characteristics associated with one's specific physical and nervous organization. an artistic temperament While in some cases nearly identical to temperament, character applies to the aggregate of moral qualities by which a person is judged apart from intelligence, competence, or special talents. strength of character While the synonyms disposition and temperament are close in meaning, disposition implies customary moods and attitude toward the life around one. a cheerful disposition The words personality and temperament are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, personality applies to an aggregate of qualities that distinguish one as a person. a somber personality The meanings of temper and temperament largely overlap; however, temper implies the qualities acquired through experience that determine how a person or group meets difficulties or handles situations. a resilient temper
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temperament

noun

Did you know?

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

noun

Medical Definition

noun

noun

Synonym Chooser