ENGLISH
REFERENCE

temperamental

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˌtɛmpɝˈmɛntəɫ// UK //tˌɛmpɹəmˈɛntəl// tem·per·a·men·tal

adj. describing someone who changes their mood or feelings very quickly, or a machine that breaks down easily. You use this for people who are moody or for things that are not reliable.

adj. prone to sudden, unpredictable changes in mood or behavior; alternatively, describing a machine or device that is unreliable or prone to failure. Often used to describe children or mechanical systems.


SIMPLE

The old car is very temperamental and breaks down often.

CONTEXTUAL

The toddler was in a temperamental mood all morning, refusing to eat his breakfast or play with his toys.

COMPLEX

While the software is powerful, it remains temperamental on older hardware, often crashing during the initial rendering phase of complex projects.

Synonyms
Origin

From temperament + -al.

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