temperamental
adjective
tem·per·a·men·tal
| \ ˌtem-p(ə-)rə-ˈmen-tᵊl
, ˌtem-pər-ˈmen-\
, ˌtem-pər-ˈmen-\
Definition of temperamental
1a
: marked by excessive sensitivity and impulsive mood changes
a temperamental child
b
: unpredictable in behavior or performance
a temperamental computer
2
: of, relating to, or arising from temperament : constitutional
temperamental peculiarities
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Other Words from temperamental
temperamentally
\ ˌtem-p(ə-)rə-ˈmen-tᵊl-ē
, ˌtem-pər-ˈmen- \
adverb
, ˌtem-pər-ˈmen- \
adverb
Examples of temperamental in a Sentence
The actor is known for being temperamental.
The old computer is temperamental.
They divorced due to temperamental differences.
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Recent Examples on the Web
In Gabriela’s case, Jake expresses an even broader skepticism based on cultural differences in addition to temperamental ones. — Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, "Netflix Wants You to Ditch the Hustle and Find Love," 31 Aug. 2019 This transit will find people in your social networks acting especially temperamental. — Randon Rosenbohm, Allure, "What June's Virgo Horoscope Predictions Mean for You," 29 May 2019 Stevens frequently duelled with his ideological (and temperamental) opposite, Antonin Scalia, who won many of the biggest battles between them. — Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker, "The Humane Legacy of John Paul Stevens," 17 July 2019 Real-time ray tracing is still in its adolescence and has proven to be a little temperamental. — Boone Ashworth, WIRED, "What Is Ray Tracing? The Latest Gaming Buzzword Explained," 14 June 2019 She is remembered as temperamental, consumed by her art, or as a noble renegade, relentless in her pursuit of some undeniable greater truth. ... — Thomas Gebremedhin, WSJ, "The Charming Letters of One of America’s Painting Legends," 3 May 2019 Given Neymar's cost and well-known temperamental problems, signing the Brazilian could undermine the Norwegian manager's position at the club. — SI.com, "Neymar: Assessing the Deals That Could Be Agreed to Sign the Wantaway PSG Superstar," 18 June 2019 Zeffirelli, 96, whose life, like his productions, was full of grand characters, outsize passions, temperamental rages and torrid love affairs, died Saturday in Rome. — David Colker, latimes.com, "Italian director Franco Zeffirelli, acclaimed in film, theater and opera, dies at 96," 15 June 2019 The temperamental Drysdale, an intimidating, sidearming right-hander who didn’t mind throwing at or hitting batters, opened the sixth by knocking down second baseman Don Blasingame, earning a warning from plate umpire Dusty Boggess. — Mark Schmetzer, Cincinnati.com, "Top Cincinnati Reds games: No. 39 – Frank Robinson made Los Angeles Dodgers pay in 1961," 7 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'temperamental.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for temperamental
temperamental
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of temperamental
: likely to become upset or angry
: unpredictable in behavior or performance
: of or relating to someone's usual attitude, mood, or behavior
See the full definition for temperamental in the English Language Learners Dictionary
temperamental
adjective
tem·per·a·men·tal
| \ ˌtem-pə-rə-ˈmen-tᵊl
, -prə-ˈmen-tᵊl\
, -prə-ˈmen-tᵊl\
Kids Definition of temperamental
1
: likely to become angry or upset
The actor is known for being temperamental and storming off stage.
2
: unpredictable in behavior or performance
a temperamental car
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