distemper
1
9.3
- noun
- /dɪsˈtɛmpər/
- Archaic
:
mal humor
- After the door opened and she saw the full distemper of his face, she wanted, rather desperately, to run away.
Examples
-
Traditionally, bloodletting was a standard remedy for many humoral distempers.
Academic text (2002) -
Never till this day saw I her touch'd with anger so distemper'd.
-
Andrew Jackson's ruthlessness and distemper, however, jeopardized the credibility of his myth and gave him the reputation of being the most uncompromising president in American history.
Academic text (1998) -
He saw pauperism as a "moral distemper" because he believed that the self-respect of able-bodied men is incompatible with their accepting alms.
Academic text (1991) -
The distemper in the room was palpable as tempers flared during the heated debate.
-
After hearing the bad news, his usual cheerfulness was replaced by a deep distemper.
-
The coach addressed the players' distemper, urging them to focus on teamwork and positivity.
Synonyms
1
6.8
A bad mood when someone is angry or easily annoyed
1
4.6
A bad mood that makes someone easily angry
A feeling that makes a person bad-tempered and gloomy
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
A contagious virus infection in dogs that causes fever, cough, and sometimes brain problems
- Specialized
A serious disease of horses caused by germs that makes the nose and throat sore and swollen
How Angry
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Distemper meaning an angry or disturbed mood comes from dis- + temper, with temper meaning 'mood' or 'balance' and dis- meaning 'not' or 'away'. So being in a distemper is like being 'out of temper' or out of emotional balance.