temperamental

[tem-per-uh-men-tl, -pruh-men-, -per-men-] / ˌtɛm pər əˈmɛn tl, -prəˈmɛn-, -pərˈmɛn- /

ADJECTIVE

moody; irritable

Synonyms

STRONGEST

capricious erratic excitable fickle headstrong high-strung impatient irritable mercurial moody ornery passionate petulant thin-skinned unpredictable unreliable unstable volatile

WEAK

changeable cussed easily upset emotional explosive fiery froward hotheaded hyper hypersensitive in bad mood inconsistent mean neurotic sensitive ticklish touchy uncertain undependable variable willful

Antonyms

STRONGEST

calm constant dependable easygoing happy laid-back predictable reliable stable steadfast steady tolerant unchanging unvarying

WEAK

peaceful pleased

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

An example he cited was Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory beleaguered by a temperamental power grid and excluded from congressional and presidential elections.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

The technical areas will also be interesting with Tudor in opposition to the animated, temperamental and vastly experienced Diego Simeone.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

"But young stars are so extremely spotty, active, and temperamental, that the Doppler method is a non-starter."

From Science Daily • Jan. 31, 2026

Netflix has appealed to investors over the past decade precisely because it has been able to focus on streaming without the baggage of managing a declining cable-TV business and dealing with a temperamental theatrical market.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 2026

That faucet was very temperamental, had been for years, and no amount of pleading with the super had gotten him to come and fix it.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Vocabulary lists containing temperamental

Into the Wild

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The Lightning Thief

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This Week In Culture, April 26–May 2, 2020

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