temperament

noun tem·per·a·ment \ ˈtem-p(ə-)rə-mənt , -pər-mənt \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of temperament

1 a : characteristic or habitual inclination or mode of emotional response

a nervous temperament

b : extremely high sensibility; especially : excessive sensitiveness or irritability

c : the peculiar or distinguishing mental or physical character determined by the relative proportions of the humors according to medieval physiology

2 a : the act or process of tempering or modifying : adjustment, compromise

b : middle course : mean

3 : the slight modification of acoustically pure intervals in tuning a musical instrument; especially : modification that produces a set of 12 equally spaced tones to the octave

4 obsolete

a : constitution of a substance, body, or organism with respect to the mixture or balance of its elements, qualities, or parts : makeup

b : complexion 1

5 obsolete

a : climate

b : temperature 1

See temperament defined for English-language learners

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Examples of temperament in a Sentence

The two women were opposite in temperament.
looking for a dog with a sweet temperament

Recent Examples of temperament from the Web

SpongeBob’s polar opposite, temperament-wise, is cranky neighbor and co-worker Squidward Q. Tentacles (Gavin Lee, hilarious).

— don aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, "Broadway beckons with ‘SpongeBob,’ ‘Mean Girls,’ and ‘Frozen’," 12 Apr. 2018
Those that pass temperament tests are schooled at the campus by professional civilian trainers and spend several months learning basic obedience and commands.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "For military veterans suffering from PTSD, are service dogs good therapy?," 28 Mar. 2018
Those that pass temperament tests are schooled at the campus by professional civilian trainers and spend several months learning basic obedience and commands.

— karin brulliard, Washington Post, "For military veterans suffering from PTSD, are service dogs good therapy?," 27 Mar. 2018
Those that pass temperament tests are schooled at the campus by professional civilian trainers and spend several months learning basic obedience and commands.

— author: karin brulliard, Anchorage Daily News, "Military veterans with PTSD turn to service dogs for help. But does it work?," 27 Mar. 2018
All three complaints claim Walker violated the Oregon Code of Judicial Conduct which states, in part: - A judge shall not engage in conduct that reflects adversely on the judge's character and competence temperament or fitness to serve as a judge.

— samantha swindler, OregonLive.com, "Complaints filed about Oregon judge's treatment of domestic violence victim," 20 Mar. 2018
Brent embodies the city of Philadelphia’s temperament and character with his toughness and grit.

— dan gartland, SI.com, "Eagles Release TE Brent Celek, Team’s Longest-Tenured Player," 13 Mar. 2018
The film focuses on their on-court rivalry and contrasting temperaments.

— don maines, Houston Chronicle, "Pasadena film group debuts season with controversial 'The King and I'," 21 Feb. 2018
Portman said standard interviews, reference checks and background investigations into Porter revealed nothing unusual or amiss about his character or temperament.

— monroe trombly, Cincinnati.com, "Rob Porter, alleged White House wife abuser, worked for Ohio Sen. Rob Portman: 'I was shocked to hear about charges, Portman says.," 13 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'temperament.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Why is temperament spelled the way it is?

Blame Latin.

Like the related noun temper (which most often refers to a person's tendency to become angry, but also has a neutral sense very close to that of temperament, among other meanings) temperament traces back to a Latin word, temperare, which means "to mix or blend." The a in temperare lives on in the modern spelling of temperament.

Temperament is an old word (it dates to the 15th century) with multiple meanings, but in modern use it typically refers to the usual attitude, mood, or behavior of a person or animal. If you're adopting a dog, you might look for one with a sweet temperament; you might describe someone who is often nervous as having a nervous temperament.

What is the difference between disposition and predisposition?

What exactly is someone's disposition? And is it different from a predisposition? A person's disposition is his or her usual mood or attitude. Are you typically pretty happy? You could be described as having a happy—or cheerful, or sunny—disposition. Animals have dispositions too; a dog with a nervous disposition doesn't easily relax into a restful pup curled up at someone’s feet. In this use, disposition is a synonym of temperament; both words refer to the complex set of attitudes and inclinations that guide behavior.

Disposition can also mean "tendency" or "inclination," and in such cases it has a surprising synonym: predisposition. A disposition to exaggerate is the same as a predisposition to exaggerate. A disposition toward humility is likewise the same thing as a predisposition toward humility. The fact of being "in advance" that the prefix pre- implies hardly matters when tendency and inclination are concerned, since both concern what is likely to happen in the future.

While phrases like "a disposition to cooperate" are about as common as "a predisposition to cooperate," when the context is medical, predisposition is far more common. Phrases like "a genetic predisposition to nearsightedness" appear much more frequently in published, edited text than similar phrases employing disposition.

Origin and Etymology of temperament

Middle English, from Latin temperamentum, from temperare to mix, temper

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

temperament Synonyms

Synonyms

disposition, grain, nature, temper;

angle, attitude, mind-set, outlook, perspective, slant, standpoint, viewpoint;

emotion, feeling, heart, passion, sentiment, spirit;

strain;

belief, conviction, judgment (or judgement), mind, notion, opinion, persuasion, view;

expression, tone, vein;

character, identity, individuality, makeup, mettle, personality, selfhood, self-identity, setup;

Synonym Discussion of temperament

disposition, temperament, temper, character, personality mean the dominant quality or qualities distinguishing a person or group. disposition implies customary moods and attitude toward the life around one.