as in irritable
having or showing a habitually bad temper
an ill-tempered cat will scratch with little provocation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ill-tempered
Simultaneously good-humored and ill-tempered in that quintessentially French fashion, Gabrielle is indeed shouldering a crushing amount of responsibility.
—
Jon Frosch, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
Speaking with candor, Russell immediately addresses Kilmer’s reputation for being ill-tempered on set early in his career.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2025
On balance, however, Billy Wagner, an imposing 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, came off as brash and blustery, foul-mouthed and ill-tempered in witness testimony.
—Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Lemon's interview with Musk delves into numerous topics, ranging from the entrepreneur's views on race to X's loss of advertisers over his antisemitic comments, with Musk growing increasingly ill-tempered with Lemon over the course of the discussion.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 18 Mar. 2024
If the person in charge is ill-tempered, thrives on conflict, and easily persuaded, problems are made worse.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 27 May 2023
Jon Frosch, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
Speaking with candor, Russell immediately addresses Kilmer’s reputation for being ill-tempered on set early in his career.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2025
On balance, however, Billy Wagner, an imposing 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, came off as brash and blustery, foul-mouthed and ill-tempered in witness testimony.
—Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Lemon's interview with Musk delves into numerous topics, ranging from the entrepreneur's views on race to X's loss of advertisers over his antisemitic comments, with Musk growing increasingly ill-tempered with Lemon over the course of the discussion.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 18 Mar. 2024
If the person in charge is ill-tempered, thrives on conflict, and easily persuaded, problems are made worse.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 27 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-tempered
Adjective
-
They can be withdrawn or irritable.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
-
While Hockney worked, Auden, as the artist recalled, played the part of the impatient, irritable grump.—
Mark Rozzo,
Vanity Fair,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Lee remembers her parents sending her to a friend’s house several blocks away when an angry mob showed up at her family’s home to protest Black residents moving into the Fort Worth neighborhood.—
Tesfaye Negussie,
ABC News,
19 June 2026
-
According to the volunteer, Niemann got angry after NOT getting fire ant relief, kicked a white flag, kicked some sand, and then proceeded to launch his iron into the fescue area.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
The cantankerous Jackson Lamb is back in a first look at season six of Slow Horses.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
-
The cantankerous Croatian lasted until November.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Leach also would publicly call out his players and could get ornery when questioned about his team’s shortcomings.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
The rabbi is ornery, arrogant, sometimes cruel.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There are also a lot of people who have never dreamed of being disagreeable in public, much less considered joining a raucous social movement.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
12 June 2026
-
The disagreeable object proved no match for the most fertile person in Montana.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Better is Danny Elfman’s spartan and fraught score, particularly the dyspeptic drums.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
-
But Kael sensed in her less dyspeptic moments that there was something special about Redford.—
Stephen Galloway,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Or a surly, vengeful Robin Hood, by Kevin Costner.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
-
The ones who did were a bit sour and surly.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Still, the internet nurtures these Hobbesian, splenetic views.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
24 May 2026
-
Meanwhile, the commentator and controversialist Piers Morgan, an obsessively close observer and relentless critic of Meghan, inevitably waded in with his usual splenetic views.—
Sarah Lyall,
New York Times,
17 Sep. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Ill-tempered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-tempered. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
