as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
a quick-tempered man who invariably utters threats at any kids who wander into his yard
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Recent Examples of quick-tempered
Suwa is the band’s beloved transmasculine Korean American hero, glamorous and quick-tempered.
—
Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
There was the woman who came to every meeting combative and quick-tempered (fight), the one who broke down in tears at every one-on-one and eventually took extended leave (flight), and the one who seemed paralyzed by the sheer volume of work (freeze).
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2024
Part of it had to do with Nguyen’s distant relationship with her father, a taciturn and quick-tempered man with whom the author had difficulty connecting.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Sep. 2023
Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
There was the woman who came to every meeting combative and quick-tempered (fight), the one who broke down in tears at every one-on-one and eventually took extended leave (flight), and the one who seemed paralyzed by the sheer volume of work (freeze).
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2024
Part of it had to do with Nguyen’s distant relationship with her father, a taciturn and quick-tempered man with whom the author had difficulty connecting.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Sep. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quick-tempered
Adjective
-
From the dramatic adolescent to the unpredictable PMS-ing woman to the irritable menopausal crone, unattractive stereotypes of women ruled by their hormones abound.—
Patricia Bencivenga,
STAT,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Caroly is immediately affected, glued to the TV; John, suddenly irritable, retreats.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
One social media video taken from along a highway near the barracks showed the aftermath of the strike, with pieces of fiery debris scattered along the mountain range housing the barracks.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
2 Apr. 2026
-
One person is dead after a fiery crash involving a tree in New Canaan on Tuesday night.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quick-tempered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quick-tempered. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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