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quick-tempered

quick-tempered

1 6.0
To become angry quickly and easily
  • adjective
  • /ˈkwɪkˌtɛmpərd/
translation icon : irritable
  • His quick-tempered nature often led to arguments with his friends.
  • very quick-tempered

And the Bible says, you know, don't be with someone who's quick tempered because you, you hang around them, you will learn their ways.

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Examples

  • On the one hand, Licurgo is a reasonable and wise man whose measured acts are motivated by a sense of justice, and on the other, Lacon is a quick-tempered, vengeful individual whose actions are governed by the honor code.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Although Murray is heavily criticized for being quick-tempered and somewhat detached from the game, he has a different charisma compared to the rest of the Big Four.

    Blog text (17)
  • He's a crazy sort of guy, quick-tempered.

  • Quick-tempered as he was, G.T. was still scared of the dark.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • They knew that while the Little People are very, very wise, they are also very quick-tempered.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • He was quick-tempered and thoughtful, and without being asked, he went outside to smoke his Camels.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Additionally, he was notoriously quick-tempered, with a propensity to fight whenever he felt slighted in the least.

    Blog text (4)
  • Brash, hard-nosed, quick-tempered.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Lorre's main territorial rival was a bootlegger named Rains, a quick-tempered thug with a passion for poker.

  • Mark Waid, in Superman in the Fifties, described this early Superman as a "diamond in the rough: a quick-tempered social activist whose dedication to the ideals of truth and justice apparently put him above the rules and regulations of society."

    Blog text (23)

Synonyms

quick
vsquick-tempered
139 3.0

Easily become angry or upset

matches emotional speed but is narrower, stressing anger onset specifically
fiery
vsquick-tempered
64 3.5

Full of strong, often angry feelings

is about the rapid start of anger rather than broad passion
irritable
vsquick-tempered
32 3.7

Quick to become annoyed or angry

is especially about very rapid becoming angry rather than slow annoyance
ornery
vsquick-tempered
  • Informal
22 8.5

Being bad-tempered and stubborn, often hard to deal with

is concentrated on rapid anger rather than stubborn difficultness
cantankerous
vsquick-tempered
9 8.6

Gets angry easily and often argues with people

is about quick anger onset rather than habitual argumentativeness
hotheaded
vsquick-tempered
  • Informal
7 6.2

Quick to become angry and act without thinking

emphasizes quickness of feeling anger rather than impulsive actions
hot-tempered
vsquick-tempered
5 5.1

Quick to become angry

is focused on the speed of becoming angry rather than strength of outburst
irascible
vsquick-tempered
  • Formal
5 8.6

Quick to become angry, often at small things

stresses rapid emotional reaction rather than general provocation tendency
short-tempered
vsquick-tempered
4 4.2

Quick to get angry or easily annoyed

is about very rapid onset of anger rather than general irritability
ill-tempered
vsquick-tempered
4 5.7

Easily annoyed and quick to get angry

is about sudden angry reactions rather than steady bad mood
bad-tempered
vsquick-tempered
3 3.5

Quick to get angry or annoyed

is focused on quickness of anger rather than frequent irritability
choleric
vsquick-tempered
1 9.6

Quick to become angry and often bad-tempered

is more narrowly about how fast anger appears
chippy
vsquick-tempered
  • UK
1 9.1

Being easily annoyed and quick to feel offended

is about sudden anger spikes rather than defensive sensitivity
splenetic
vsquick-tempered
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Easily become angry and say harsh things

focuses on rapid anger onset rather than harsh manner alone
chinny
vsquick-tempered
  • UK
1 9.9

Easily upset or hurt by small harmless remarks

is focused on speed of anger rather than sensitivity to slights
splenitive
vsquick-tempered
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Quick to become angry or take offense

is about speed of anger rather than sensitivity to insults
waspy
vsquick-tempered
8.8

Quick to speak in a rude or angry way that hurts others

is more about how fast anger appears than sharp speech style

Antonyms

735 1.0

Not showing strong feelings and being very still

Calm and not easily annoyed or angry

How Irritable

explosive
233 4.6
hot-tempered
5 5.1
quick-tempered
1 6.0
touchy
33 4.9
irritable
32 3.7

Surface Forms

quick-tempered positive

Morphology

quick-tempered = quick + tempered (transparent) = quick + temper + ed

The compound clearly combines 'quick' and adjectival 'tempered' to mean 'having a quick temper', so learners who know the components can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Quick-tempered comes from two simple parts: quick meaning 'fast' and temper meaning 'mood' or 'anger'. So, a quick-tempered person is someone whose mood turns to anger very fast.