bad-tempered

bad-tempered — adjective

1. quick to lose patience and show anger over small problems or delays

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

quick to lose patience and show anger over small problems or delays

Example

The bad-tempered bus driver shouted when Leo asked about the last stop.

before noun: bad-tempered bus driver

By noon, Carla grew bad-tempered after three customers complained about refunds.

linking verb: grow bad-tempered

Common collocations
  • bad-tempered customer
  • bad-tempered child
  • bad-tempered reply
  • bad-tempered voice
  • grow bad-tempered
  • sound bad-tempered
Synonyms
  • grumpy

    is more informal and often suggests complaining or looking cross.

  • irritable

    is slightly more neutral and often suggests a cause such as pain, stress, or tiredness.

  • ill-tempered

    is very close in meaning but sounds more formal or literary.

  • cross

    is a common British word for being annoyed, often in a milder way.

Antonyms
  • good-tempered

    describes someone who stays pleasant and does not get angry easily.

  • patient

    stresses staying calm when problems or delays happen.

  • even-tempered

    suggests a steady mood that does not change quickly.

Grammar Patterns

a bad-tempered customer

a bad-tempered reply

grow bad-tempered

sound bad-tempered

Usage Note

Often used before nouns such as child, customer, look, reply, or voice, and after linking verbs like be, grow, sound, and turn. It often suggests a person's general manner or a stressed mood over a period, while angry is more common for one specific moment.

Common Mistakes

My father was bad-tempered because I broke one glass.
My father was angry because I broke one glass.
bad-tempered often suggests a general manner or mood, not one brief reaction.
The exam made me very bad temper.
The exam made me bad-tempered.' / 'The exam put me in a bad temper.
bad-tempered is an adjective; bad temper is a noun phrase.

Word family

  • temper
    nounB2
  • good-tempered
    adjectiveC1
  • ill-tempered
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For this sense, bad-tempered suggests a habit or mood of showing anger easily in ordinary situations. Grumpy is more informal and often describes someone who complains, looks unhappy, or is unpleasant in a low-energy way. Irritable is slightly more neutral and is often used when pain, stress, heat, or tiredness makes a person react sharply. Ill-tempered is very close in meaning but sounds more formal or literary. Angry is the broad everyday word, but it often points to one particular moment rather than a person's usual manner. A customer can be angry about one mistake, but a bad-tempered boss snaps at people all week.

bad-tempered ↗grumpyirritable ↗angry ↗ill-tempered

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bad-tempered customer
  • bad-tempered child
  • bad-tempered driver
  • bad-tempered reply

Adverbs

Phrases

  • grow bad-tempered
  • sound bad-tempered
  • turn bad-tempered
  • be in a bad-tempered mood

Etymology

Old EnglishLatinFrenchEnglish

Bad-tempered is an English compound built from bad and tempered. In this word, temper refers to a person's usual emotional balance or tendency to get angry. That sense of temper came into English through French from Latin, where the earlier idea was about proper mixture or control. The compound therefore developed the meaning of having an unpleasant or easily angered temper.