combustious temper
- noun
- /kəmˈbʌstʃəs ˈtɛmpər/
- Archaic
:
temperamento explosivo
- He has a combustious temper that flares up at the slightest provocation.
Examples
-
Don't provoke her; she has a combustious temper!
-
She feared his combustious temper might ruin the negotiations if he wasn't careful.
-
Despite his combustious temper, he was respected for his honesty and work ethic.
-
The actor's combustious temper was infamous among the film crew.
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His combustious temper often led to arguments during family gatherings.
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She learned to manage her combustious temper to avoid conflicts with her friends.
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The coach knew that his player's combustious temper could affect the team's performance.
Synonyms
237
3.6
A sudden short burst of anger
14
3.4
A habit of getting angry easily and staying in a bad mood
3
4.1
Getting angry or losing patience very quickly
2
3.9
To become angry easily or suddenly
1
9.3
A tendency to become angry quickly
1
6.3
A quick, strong reaction of anger or emotion
1
4.6
A bad mood that makes someone easily angry
A person who shows strong feelings and gets angry quickly
Antonyms
How Angry
5
5.1
- Archaic
3
4.1
32
3.7
3
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
combustious + temper
The adjective 'combustious' is not a standard dictionary word but is analyzable as combust- (burn) + -ious, so its pairing with 'temper' evokes a burning/flare-up metaphor that makes the intended meaning inferable. However, the term is rare and the relation is metaphorical rather than a straightforward compositional pattern, so many B1 learners would only partially predict the sense.
Etymology
Combustious temper comes from a simple picture: the word combustious makes you think of burning, so a small spark, a tiny annoyance, can make the person's temper flare like a fire. That's why the phrase means 'easily angered' or quick to 'lose one's temper'.