temper — OET · Shobdo

temper

noun

1 Drew had walked out in a temper:

fit of rage, rage, fury, fit of bad/ill temper, bad temper, tantrum, passion, paroxysm;

fit of pique, bad mood, mood, pet, sulk;

Northern English, & Midlands English mard;

informal grump, huff, snit;

British, informal strop, paddy;

British, informal , dated bate, wax, skid;

North American, informal blowout, hissy fit;

archaic paddywhack, miff.

2 an uncharacteristic display of temper:

anger, fury, rage, annoyance, vexation, crossness, irascibility, irritation, irritability, ill humour, ill temper, dyspepsia, spleen, pique, petulance, peevishness, pettishness, testiness, tetchiness, snappishness, crabbiness, resentment, surliness, churlishness;

air rage;

British, informal stroppiness;

literary ire, choler.

▷antonyms good humour.

3 she struggled to keep her temper:

composure, equanimity, self-control, self-possession, sangfroid, coolness, calm, calmness, tranquillity, good humour;

informal cool.

4 he was of a placid temper:

temperament, disposition, nature, character, personality, make-up, constitution, mind, spirit, stamp, mettle, mould;

mood, frame of mind, cast of mind, habit of mind, attitude;

archaic humour, grain.

□ lose one's temper

suddenly, Maria lost her temper:

become very angry, fly into a rage, explode, blow up, erupt, lose control, go berserk, breathe fire, begin to rant and rave, flare up, boil over;

informal go mad, go crazy, go wild, go bananas, have a fit, see red, fly off the handle, blow one's top, blow a fuse, blow a gasket, do one's nut, hit the roof, go through the roof, go up the wall, go off the deep end, lose one's cool, go ape, flip, flip one's lid, lose one's rag, lose it, freak out, be fit to be tied, be foaming at the mouth, burst a blood vessel, get one's dander up, go non-linear;

British, informal go spare, go crackers, throw a wobbly, get one's knickers in a twist;

North American, informal flip one's wig;

Australian, New Zealand, informal go crook;

vulgar slang go apeshit.

verb

1 the steel is tempered by heat treatment:

harden, strengthen, toughen, fortify;

technical anneal.

2 their idealism is tempered with realism:

moderate, modify, modulate;

tone down, mitigate, palliate, alleviate, allay, assuage, lessen, reduce, weaken, lighten, soften, cushion;

qualify.

temper Oxford Dictionary of English