temper
/ˈtem.pə/ IELTSAcademic
noun
a person's usual emotional state, especially how easily they become angry. It can also mean a mood or frame of mind.
- She has a calm temper.
- He lost his temper in the meeting.
- Try to keep your temper.
verb
to make something less strong, severe, or extreme. It is often used with feelings, criticism, or metal.
- We need to temper our expectations.
- Her praise tempered the criticism.
- The chef tempered the chocolate carefully.
Adinary Nuance
Temper is stronger and more fixed than mood or attitude. For anger, it often means your usual emotional quickness, while lose your temper means suddenly become angry. As a verb, it is different from reduce: temper means soften or balance, not simply make smaller.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- tính khí
- Spanish
- temperamento
- Chinese
- 脾气
- Japanese
- 気質
- Korean
- 성질
Etymology
Temper comes from Old French tempérer and Latin temperare, meaning to mix properly or keep in balance. The idea of balance still appears in modern English.
Common phrases
lose your temperkeep your tempertemper expectationstemper criticism
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is temper a formal word?
- It is common in both spoken and written English. The verb is especially common in formal writing.
- What is the difference between temper and mood?
- Mood is your current feeling. Temper is more about your usual tendency to get angry.
- What does 'temper expectations' mean?
- It means to make expectations more realistic or less strong.
- Can temper be used as a verb in business English?
- Yes. People often say 'temper criticism' or 'temper expectations' in business writing.