What does temperament mean?
Temperament describes a person's characteristic emotional and behavioral disposition: the relatively consistent ways someone feels, reacts, and behaves. It may suggest steadiness and emotional control, as in a calm temperament, or heightened sensitivity and volatility, as in a nervous or artistic temperament. The word is often used when discussing personality differences, children and upbringing, or qualities associated with creativity and social behavior. It should not be confused with a temporary mood; temperament generally implies an enduring pattern rather than a passing feeling. Its meaning also has a historical dimension. In medieval and early modern thought, temperament could refer to the balance of the four bodily humours, each associated with a distinct temperament. Today, the word retains the broad idea of a person's underlying nature, while “temper” more often highlights emotional state or irritability. Temperament remains a useful, formal word for describing the characteristic style with which a person meets the world.
nounA person's characteristic disposition, especially the habitual way they respond emotionally and behave. In older usage, it can also refer to a person's physical or mental constitution or to a tendency toward anger.
- A person's characteristic emotional and behavioral disposition.
- A person's natural physical or mental constitution.
- A tendency to become angry or irritated.
- One of the four traditional temperaments—sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric, or melancholic—associated with the historical theory of bodily humours.
"She has a calm temperament, which helps her remain composed under pressure."
"The child inherited his mother's sunny temperament."
"An artist of nervous temperament may find a busy office environment particularly difficult."
The plural is used for different people's characteristic dispositions or, historically, for the four traditional temperaments.
"The twins had completely different temperaments despite looking so alike."
From the ancient idea of four humours, temperament grew into a modern shorthand for the emotional fingerprint that shapes how we react.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does temperament come from?
Temperament entered Middle English through Old French and ultimately derives from Latin temperamentum, a word associated with temperare, meaning to mix, regulate, or moderate. The Latin term was originally connected with bodily humours and their balance, reflecting an ancient and medieval theory of personality. Its modern sense developed from ideas of natural constitution and emotional disposition. Related English words include temper, temperance, temperature, and temperamental.
Related word forms
How temperament is actually used
Temperament is neutral to formal in modern use and is especially common in descriptions of personality. The expression “out of temperament” is now dated or literary; “out of temper” is more usual in informal English.
Easily confused with temperament
Temperament usually denotes a person's enduring disposition, whereas temper more often focuses on an emotional state, especially irritability.
Temperament refers to characteristic emotional or behavioral disposition, while temperature measures the degree of heat or cold.