temper
Americannoun
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a particular state of mind or feelings.
- Synonyms:
- point of view, perspective, outlook, inclination, attitude, humor, frame of mind, cheer
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habit of mind, especially with respect to irritability or patience, outbursts of anger, or the like; disposition.
an even temper.
- Synonyms:
- temperament, spirit, nature, makeup, habit, grain, disposition
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heat of mind or passion, shown in outbursts of anger, resentment, etc.
- Synonyms:
- petulance, irritation, irritability, crossness, annoyance, resentment
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calm disposition or state of mind.
to be out of temper.
- Synonyms:
- composure, equanimity
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a substance added to something to modify its properties or qualities.
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Metallurgy.
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the degree of hardness and strength imparted to a metal, as by quenching, heat treatment, or cold working.
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the percentage of carbon in tool steel.
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the operation of tempering.
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Archaic. a middle course; compromise.
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Obsolete. the constitution or character of a substance.
verb (used with object)
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to moderate or mitigate.
to temper justice with mercy.
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to soften or tone down.
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to bring to a proper, suitable, or desirable state by or as by blending or admixture.
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to moisten, mix, and work up into proper consistency, as clay or mortar.
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Metallurgy. to impart strength or toughness to (steel or cast iron) by heating and cooling.
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to produce internal stresses in (glass) by sudden cooling from low red heat; toughen.
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to tune (a keyboard instrument, as a piano, organ, or harpsichord) so as to make the tones available in different keys or tonalities.
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to modify (color) by mixing with a medium.
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Archaic. to combine or blend in due proportions.
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Archaic. to pacify.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a frame of mind; mood or humour
a good temper
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a sudden outburst of anger; tantrum
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a tendency to exhibit uncontrolled anger; irritability
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a mental condition of moderation and calm (esp in the phrases keep one's temper, lose one's temper, out of temper )
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the degree of hardness, elasticity, or a similar property of a metal or metal object
verb
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to make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else; moderate
he tempered his criticism with kindly sympathy
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to strengthen or toughen (a metal or metal article) by heat treatment, as by heating and quenching
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music
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to adjust the frequency differences between the notes of a scale on (a keyboard instrument) in order to allow modulation into other keys
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to make such an adjustment to the pitches of notes in (a scale)
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a rare word for adapt
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an archaic word for mix
Synonym Usage
See disposition. See modify.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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temperabilitynoun
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temperernoun
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retemperverb (used with object)
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nontemperableadjective
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temperableadjective
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untemperableadjective
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untemperingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tempersimple
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temperssimple
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have temperedperfect
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has temperedperfect
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am temperingprogressive
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are temperingprogressive
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is temperingprogressive
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have been temperingperfect progressive
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has been temperingperfect progressive
Past
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temperedsimple
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had temperedperfect
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was temperingprogressive
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were temperingprogressive
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had been temperingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of temper
before 1000; (v.) Middle English tempren, Old English temprian < Latin temperāre to divide or proportion duly, temper; (noun) Middle English: proportion, derivative of the v.
Explanation
Temper can refer to a tendency to become unreasonably angry. If you’re not sure whether you have a temper, ask your friends — but don’t get mad if you dislike what they have to say. Temper has a number of related yet distinct meanings. In addition to describing a tendency to anger, temper can also refer to one’s mood in general; if you use the word in this sense, you might describe someone's temper as "angry" or "mild." Temper can also be used as a verb meaning “to restrain.” If you have a nasty temper, you might try tempering your temper by counting to ten whenever you’re tempted to throw a "temper tantrum," or fit.
Vocabulary lists containing temper
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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A Culinary Vocabulary Sampler
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This Week in Pop Culture: April 6–12, 2019
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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.
See Examples For:
But Marino and Wain wisely temper this punchline throughout their script.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Loyal Otto — rearrange the letters in his name — has a Tin Man-esque steel plate in his head; Marino and Slattery both share the Cowardly Lion’s temper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Although this latest trial has shown it is superior for controlling blood sugar and aiding weight loss, its higher rate of side-effects and treatment discontinuation may temper enthusiasm.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
A viewer might want to temper his own expectations; a cult hit by definition means some people won’t like it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
“We’re all worried sick, and you have to throw temper tantrums! Bad, bad children!”
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
She says his calm sensibility tempers her impulsiveness and stress.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026
Wilson, who has a personal relationship with Hegseth that likely tempers his typical inflammatory rhetoric, was more delicate.
From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2026
Persistent caution tempers expectations for a dramatic consumption-led rebound.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 26, 2026
“Deliberation tempers impulse, and compromise hammers disagreements into workable solutions,” he writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026
"Roses are red, violets are blue," he recited, instead of counting to ten so as not to have two lost tempers in one room.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Activity was up strongly in the oil sands sector of Western Canada following longer-than-anticipated unscheduled maintenance that had tempered growth through the first three months of the year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
But too much inconsistency has tempered once-sky-high expectations.
From MarketWatch ● May 31, 2026
However, they soon tempered expectations, with Tehran cautioning a deal was "not imminent", while Trump said he had instructed his negotiators "not to rush into" one.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
The firm bought big stakes in United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta and Southwest Airlines in 2016, betting that consolidation had tempered the industry’s tendency for bruising fare wars that squeezed profits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
And whatever extraneous influence the tannery may have exercised, the calamities of the land belong to it alone, born of wind and rain and weather, immensities not to be tempered by man or his creations.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
Hyperscalers look attractive on the view that investors could see more tempering of capital expenditure, given poor stock performances in the past few months.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
The L.A. market “faces several challenges that are tempering hotel performance expectations,” said Ralph Posner, chief communications officer for the American Hotel and Lodging Assn.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026
The macro signal isn’t aligned, tempering the bullish case.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
Xi said at the time that the army had "undergone revolutionary tempering in the fight against corruption".
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
The armory adjoined the castle smithy, a long high-roofed tunnel of a building with twenty forges built into its walls and long stone water troughs for tempering the steel.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.