temperament

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

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: temperament in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Why is temperament spelled the way it is?

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

See temperament defined for kids

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

Named for the Roman god of war, these three distinctive sections represent aggression, resilience, and temperament, respectively.

— aliza kelly faragher, Allure, "A Beginner's Guide to Reading Palms," 4 June 2018
The chaos is partly the consequence of President Donald Trump’s mercurial temperament, and the fact that he is served by advisers who disagree with each other.

— The Economist, "There is madness, but perhaps also method, in America’s trade policies," 31 May 2018
Devlin has a quietly pleasant temperament, an attribute on a job that, in theory, is supposed to be in and out, but often calls for interactions with residents experiencing major life changes.

— cassie owens, Philly.com, "How this real estate photographer makes homes look listing-ready," 30 May 2018
The artistic temperaments clash before the first round of tea from the samovar.

— michael phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'The Seagull' review: Decamping to Chekhovlandia with Saoirse Ronan," 17 May 2018
The groups rate each candidate on judicial temperament, diligence, professional competence and community understanding after each one responds to a questionnaire, is interviewed by each organization and submits a writing sample.

— courtney astolfi, cleveland.com, "Cleveland pastors criticize Judge4Yourself.com judicial candidate ratings, lack of diversity on bench," 27 Apr. 2018
Though the series will reportedly be based on the original novels, The Witcher’s game incarnations are deeply influenced by Slavic mythology and, arguably, a dour Eastern European temperament.

— david z. morris, Fortune, "'The Witcher' Is Coming to Netflix in 2020, Writer Confirms," 21 Apr. 2018
By all accounts a quick study with an enormous work capacity and a diplomatic, optimistic temperament, Villani was, of course, also a high-level researcher in a related field, which helped him grasp AI concepts quickly.

— alex castro, The Verge, "Meet the “Lady Gaga of Mathematics” helming France’s AI task force," 28 Mar. 2018
In England, the likes of Argentina and Uruguay were stereotyped as having a volatile temperament and being prone to foul play and bad sportsmanship.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 13 Weeks Ago - How the 1966 Tournament Changed Football & FIFA Forever," 22 Mar. 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

in the meaning defined at sense 4

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.