as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
shop customers learned not to bother the short-tempered dog on their way out
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Recent Examples of short-tempered
Expressing aggression recharges an angry and short-tempered internal battery that transfers into other parts of the adults’ lives.
—
Christina Erickson, The Conversation, 18 Apr. 2025
Noticing how these patterns affect your personal life—say, leading to venting or being short-tempered at home—provides valuable insights into your reactions at work.
—Liz Kislik, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
The waitstaff at Allen’s were professional but could be short-tempered when faced with a subpar busboy.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Doherty, then 19, became a superstar in the early ’90s playing the straitlaced but short-tempered Brenda Walsh as the show became a guilty pleasure for a generation.
—Ethan Sacks, NBC News, 14 July 2024
Bader — a veteran voice actor who on Max’s Harley Quinn alone has voiced Batman/Bruce Wayne, Gorilla Grodd, Thomas Wayne and others — here will play Harvey Dent, a great-looking and charismatic DA who is also ruthlessly ambitious, arrogant, short-tempered and a dangerous person to cross.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 20 June 2024
Dear Amy: My husband has been irritable, tense, short-tempered and basically taking things out on me and our 16-year-old son.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024
Per usual, Barry Gibb speaks to newsmakers of the day, becoming increasingly short-tempered with his guests in between breaking into song.
—Vulture, 28 Jan. 2024
The collector, despite his reputation for being short-tempered or blustery, is curious and soft-spoken on tape.
—Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2023
Christina Erickson, The Conversation, 18 Apr. 2025
Noticing how these patterns affect your personal life—say, leading to venting or being short-tempered at home—provides valuable insights into your reactions at work.
—Liz Kislik, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
The waitstaff at Allen’s were professional but could be short-tempered when faced with a subpar busboy.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Doherty, then 19, became a superstar in the early ’90s playing the straitlaced but short-tempered Brenda Walsh as the show became a guilty pleasure for a generation.
—Ethan Sacks, NBC News, 14 July 2024
Bader — a veteran voice actor who on Max’s Harley Quinn alone has voiced Batman/Bruce Wayne, Gorilla Grodd, Thomas Wayne and others — here will play Harvey Dent, a great-looking and charismatic DA who is also ruthlessly ambitious, arrogant, short-tempered and a dangerous person to cross.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 20 June 2024
Dear Amy: My husband has been irritable, tense, short-tempered and basically taking things out on me and our 16-year-old son.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024
Per usual, Barry Gibb speaks to newsmakers of the day, becoming increasingly short-tempered with his guests in between breaking into song.
—Vulture, 28 Jan. 2024
The collector, despite his reputation for being short-tempered or blustery, is curious and soft-spoken on tape.
—Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short-tempered
Adjective
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And even in what was a stilted match played in an increasingly irritable atmosphere, Rogers and Tielemans delivered with an assist each.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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This stretch can worsen pain in people with back pain, very tight hamstrings, or irritable nerves.—
Aubrey Bailey, PT, DPT, CHT,
Verywell Health,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Short-tempered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short-tempered. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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