as in irritable
having or showing a habitually bad temper
an ill-tempered cat will scratch with little provocation
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Recent Examples of ill-tempered
Simultaneously good-humored and ill-tempered in that quintessentially French fashion, Gabrielle is indeed shouldering a crushing amount of responsibility.
—
Jon Frosch, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
Speaking with candor, Russell immediately addresses Kilmer’s reputation for being ill-tempered on set early in his career.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2025
On balance, however, Billy Wagner, an imposing 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, came off as brash and blustery, foul-mouthed and ill-tempered in witness testimony.
—Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Lemon's interview with Musk delves into numerous topics, ranging from the entrepreneur's views on race to X's loss of advertisers over his antisemitic comments, with Musk growing increasingly ill-tempered with Lemon over the course of the discussion.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 18 Mar. 2024
If the person in charge is ill-tempered, thrives on conflict, and easily persuaded, problems are made worse.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 27 May 2023
Jon Frosch, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
Speaking with candor, Russell immediately addresses Kilmer’s reputation for being ill-tempered on set early in his career.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2025
On balance, however, Billy Wagner, an imposing 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, came off as brash and blustery, foul-mouthed and ill-tempered in witness testimony.
—Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Lemon's interview with Musk delves into numerous topics, ranging from the entrepreneur's views on race to X's loss of advertisers over his antisemitic comments, with Musk growing increasingly ill-tempered with Lemon over the course of the discussion.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 18 Mar. 2024
If the person in charge is ill-tempered, thrives on conflict, and easily persuaded, problems are made worse.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 27 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-tempered
Adjective
-
But Maguire, now 43, became sad and irritable, and didn’t want to be around his newborn.—
Keith Wagstaff,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
-
Additionally, Owens' youngest child, Titus, who was just a toddler when his mother died, was confused, irritable and inconsolable in the weeks after her death, Dias shared.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Texts, screen grabs, recordings and other records recovered from a search of Rinderknecht’s cellphones portray a man who was by turns lonely and livid, angry at billionaires and ex-romantic partners while seemingly scared about his own declining mental health.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
-
So that prompted protests and disturbances in Southampton, and a huge, angry reaction from the far right, both within Britain and internationally.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
The cantankerous Jackson Lamb is back in a first look at season six of Slow Horses.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
-
The cantankerous Croatian lasted until November.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Leach also would publicly call out his players and could get ornery when questioned about his team’s shortcomings.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
The rabbi is ornery, arrogant, sometimes cruel.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The disagreeable object proved no match for the most fertile person in Montana.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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This is because there is a meaningful difference between disagreeing and being disagreeable.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Better is Danny Elfman’s spartan and fraught score, particularly the dyspeptic drums.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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But Kael sensed in her less dyspeptic moments that there was something special about Redford.—
Stephen Galloway,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Or a surly, vengeful Robin Hood, by Kevin Costner.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
-
The ones who did were a bit sour and surly.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Still, the internet nurtures these Hobbesian, splenetic views.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
24 May 2026
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Meanwhile, the commentator and controversialist Piers Morgan, an obsessively close observer and relentless critic of Meghan, inevitably waded in with his usual splenetic views.—
Sarah Lyall,
New York Times,
17 Sep. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Ill-tempered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-tempered. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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