Standard Lemma guide

short-tempered

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Easily angered; frequently losing one's temper.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • She is so short-tempered that people avoid her company.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: quick-tempered, hotheaded

Antonyms: cool-headed, even-tempered, cool

Broader terms: impatient, temperamental

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

quickly aroused to anger

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a hotheaded commander

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: choleric, irascible, hotheaded, hot-tempered, quick-tempered

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

By surface analysis, short temper + -ed.

Across languages

Translations

18 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: عَصَبِيّ (ʕaṣabiyy) — easily angered
  • Bulgarian: сприхав (sprihav) — easily angered
  • Bulgarian: избухлив (izbuhliv) — easily angered
  • Chinese Mandarin: 易怒 (yìnù) — easily angered
  • Finnish: äkkipikainen — easily angered
  • Finnish: lyhytpinnainen — easily angered
  • Finnish: kärsimätön — easily angered
  • Ancient Greek: ὀξύθυμος (oxúthumos) — easily angered
  • Irish: araiciseach — easily angered
  • Irish: tobann — easily angered
  • Māori: kiriwetiweti — easily angered
  • Māori: kirikawa — easily angered
  • Māori: āritarita — easily angered
  • Marathi: तापट (tāpaṭ) — easily angered
  • Norman: malenduthant — easily angered
  • Pohnpeian: aida — easily angered
  • Russian: вспыльчивый (vspylʹčivyj) — easily angered
  • Spanish: de mecha corta — easily angered