noun
temper
TEHM-puh
noun
1
A person's tendency to become angry, or a fit of anger itself.
"He has a bad temper when things don't go his way."
"She lost her temper after being kept waiting for an hour."
2
A person's general mood or state of mind.
"He was in an unusually cheerful temper that morning."
verb
1
To moderate or soften something, making it less extreme.
"She tempered her criticism with a few kind words."
"His optimism was tempered by years of setbacks."
2
To toughen metal or glass by controlled heating and cooling.
"Blacksmiths temper steel to make it strong but not brittle."
How to Use Temper
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither your tendency to get angry (a "bad temper"), your general mood, or — as a verb — to soften or toughen something.
Common mistake
"Loose temper" is a common misspelling — it should be "lose your temper."
Common pairings
lose your temper
a quick temper
temper the blow
tempered steel
Word Forms
tempered past tense, tempers plural, tempers singular
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Etymology
From Old English temprian, borrowed from Latin temperō, "to mix in due proportion, moderate." Related to "temperature" and "temporal."