temperamental
12
6.5
- adjective
- /ˌtɛmpəˈrɛmənˌtəl/
:
temperamental
- I should warn you that our hot water can be a little temperamental and may not always work as expected.
Secretary Haig, who famously craved the diplomatic limelight himself, accused Kirkpatrick of being temperamental.
- Secretary Haig, who famously craved the diplomatic limelight himself, accused Kirkpatrick of being temperamental.
- So I I don't know the game theory on all of this, but does it make you nervous that are we just being temperamental?
- And these languages are constructed very in a very nuanced way, in a very sort of temperamental way, right?
Examples
-
Most mornings, she drove to the gas station for coffee, cranking the engine of her temperamental van until it finally started.
-
Oh, these satellite phones are very temperamental.
-
It's not quite spring, and the weather is temperamental.
Fiction book (2002) -
I should warn you that our hot water can be a little temperamental.
-
Writers who became frustrated with Latin players simply wrote them off as being temperamental and too sensitive.
Academic text (1994) -
She's a temperamental old lass.
-
The oft-temperamental forward said after the win that his rapport with Rosales continues to improve.
Blog text (10) -
We have a notoriously picky and temperamental client who routinely tells off our salesmen.
Blog text (4) -
He's an emotional, temperamental player, often showing drastic mood swings during the game.
Synonyms
94
6.1
Not regular or predictable and likely to change suddenly
91
4.4
A person whose mood or behavior changes suddenly
50
3.2
Often feels angry or sad quickly for no clear reason
39
6.2
Changing often in a way you cannot rely on
34
7.4
Having sudden unpredictable changes in feelings toward others
19
7.9
Showing sudden changes in mood, like going from happy to angry
15
5.9
Being a bit strange in behavior or appearance
14
4.1
Quick to become excited or nervous
12
7.2
Being very nervous and easily upset
9
7.4
A person who changes plans and loses interest easily
7
8.2
Changing mood or behaviour suddenly and without warning
4
6.8
A person who feels interested one moment and not interested the next
3
8.4
Acting nervous and strange in a way you cannot predict
Often changes mood or behavior quickly and without warning
Acting quickly and changing mood or interest often
Having moods that change often, sometimes happy and sad
Antonyms
Compounds
How Temperamental
Surface Forms
Morphology
temperamental = temperament (semi-transparent) = temper + ment + al
The word is built regularly from 'temperament' plus '-al', but the sense 'moody or unpredictable' is a conventional extension rather than a fully literal composition.
Etymology
Temperamental shares the root temper and Latin temperare 'to mix' or 'to control', which gives a simple picture: if someone's 'mix' of moods is not steady, it can change quickly. That's why temperamental is used for someone or something that is moody or unpredictable.