What does "temperature" mean?
A measure of cold or heat, often measurable with a thermometer.
Temperature
/ˈtɛm.pəɹˌt͡ʃɚ/ noun, slang
noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A measure of cold or heat, often measurable with a thermometer.
- Grammar: temperature is listed as noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: absolute zero, data value, degree value, feeling.
- Usage evidence: Milk boils at a higher temperature than water.
How to use "temperature"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "temperature" 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 "temperature" 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 "temperature" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "temperature" 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 "temperature" is acting as noun, slang 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 "absolute zero" 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 "temperature", 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 measure of cold or heat, often measurable with a thermometer. countable, uncountable
"The boiling temperature of pure water is 100 degrees Celsius."
- 2 the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity) wordnet
- 3 An elevated body temperature, as present in many illnesses; fever. countable, uncountable
"You have a temperature. I think you should stay home today. You’re sick."
- 4 the somatic sensation of cold or heat wordnet
- 5 A property of macroscopic amounts of matter that serves to gauge the average intensity of the random actual motions of the individually mobile particulate constituents. countable, uncountable
"In consequence, macroscopic amounts of matter in thermal contact with one another tend to be at the same temperature, a fact of sufficient fundamental importance to merit belated designation as the Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A parameter that controls the degree of randomness of the output. countable, uncountable
- 7 The general mood. colloquial, countable, figuratively, uncountable
"But it is both easier and more accurate to take the industry's true temperature at small private gatherings like a conference organized by the Ziff Davis publishing company in northern California last week."
- 8 The state or condition of being tempered or moderated. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 9 The balance of humours in the body, or one's character or outlook as considered determined from this; temperament. archaic, countable, uncountable
"Our intemperence it is that pulls so many several incurable diseases on our heads, that hastens old age, perverts our temperature, and brings upon us sudden death."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Milk boils at a higher temperature than water."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "temperature"?
Common synonyms include: absolute zero, data value, degree value, feeling, freezing point, heat.
How do you use "temperature" in a sentence?
Milk boils at a higher temperature than water.
How do you pronounce "temperature"?
Pronounced /ˈtɛm.pəɹˌt͡ʃɚ/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin temperātūra (cf. also French température), from the past participle stem of tempero (“I temper”).