What does "temperament" mean?
A person's usual manner of thinking, behaving or reacting.
Temperament
/ˈtɛm.pɚ.ə.mənt/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person's usual manner of thinking, behaving or reacting.
- Grammar: temperament is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: disposition, affect mood, affections, affects.
- Useful contrasts: calmness, stability.
- Usage evidence: Nancy has a very lively and sweet temperament.
How to use "temperament"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "temperament" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "temperament" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "temperament" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "temperament" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "temperament" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "disposition" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "temperament", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person's usual manner of thinking, behaving or reacting. countable, uncountable
"President Taft did not have the temperament either to dominate or to work with his Congress."
- 2 an adjustment of the intervals (as in tuning a keyboard instrument) so that the scale can be used to play in different keys wordnet
- 3 A tendency to become irritable or angry. countable, uncountable
- 4 your usual mood wordnet
- 5 The altering of certain intervals from their correct values in order to improve the moving from key to key. countable, uncountable
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 excessive emotionalism or irritability and excitability (especially when displayed openly) wordnet
- 7 Individual differences in behavior that are biologically based and are relatively independent of learning, system of values and attitudes. countable, uncountable
- 8 A moderate and proportionable mixture of elements or ingredients in a compound; the condition in which elements are mixed in their proper proportions. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"If I will aske meere Philosophers, what the soule is, I shall finde amongst them, that will tell me, it is nothing, but the temperament and harmony, and just and equall composition of the Elements in the body, which produces all those faculties which we ascribe to the soule […]"
- 9 Any state or condition as determined by the proportion of its ingredients or the manner in which they are mixed; consistence, composition; mixture. countable, obsolete, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Nancy has a very lively and sweet temperament."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "temperament"?
Common synonyms include: disposition, affect mood, affections, affects, animus, aptitude.
How do you use "temperament" in a sentence?
Nancy has a very lively and sweet temperament.
How do you pronounce "temperament"?
Pronounced /ˈtɛm.pɚ.ə.mənt/.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English temperament, borrowed from Middle French tempérament, from Latin temperāmentum.