ill-tempered

/ˌɪl ˈtempəd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪl ˈtempərd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈil-ˈtem-pərd/ (ame, mw)

ill-tempered — adjective

1. describes a person or animal who becomes annoyed or grumpy quickly and often, es

1.形容詞C1
釋義

describes a person or animal who becomes annoyed or grumpy quickly and often, especially over small things.

例句

Ravindra was an ill-tempered boss who shouted at staff over tiny mistakes.

attributive: ill-tempered [noun] describing a person's habitual mood

The Watanabe family's old terrier had grown ill-tempered after losing his sight.

predicative: had grown ill-tempered

同義詞
  • grumpy

    more informal; everyday spoken English

  • irritable

    neutral register; often used in writing about temperament

  • cantankerous

    more formal and literary; suggests stubborn unpleasantness, often in older people

反義詞

文法句型

an ill-tempered [person/animal]

be ill-tempered

用法筆記

Describes a habitual disposition rather than a single mood; if you mean someone is angry right now, use 'in a bad mood' or 'cross' instead. Distinguish from sense 2, which describes an event rather than a person.

常見錯誤

❌I am ill-tempered today because of the rain.
✅I am in a bad mood today because of the rain.
💡ill-tempered points to a lasting personality trait, not a one-off feeling.

2. describes a match, debate, or other public event during which the people taking

2.形容詞C2
釋義

describes a match, debate, or other public event during which the people taking part repeatedly lose their temper with each other.

例句

Saturday's derby turned into an ill-tempered match with three players sent off in twenty minutes.

attributive describing a sporting event

The town-hall debate over the new tax was ill-tempered from the opening question onwards.

predicative with adverbial: was ill-tempered from [point] onwards

同義詞
  • fractious

    more formal; common in journalism for hostile meetings or debates

  • heated

    neutral; emphasises strong feeling but not necessarily rude behaviour

  • acrimonious

    formal; stresses bitter personal hostility between participants

反義詞
  • good-natured

    friendly and relaxed in atmosphere

  • cordial

    polite and warm, especially between people who disagree

文法句型

an ill-tempered [match/debate/meeting]

用法筆記

Only sense that takes an event noun (match, debate, meeting, exchange) as its head; describes the atmosphere of an occasion, not the personality of any individual. Distinguish from sense 1, where the head noun is a person or animal.

常見錯誤

❌Élise was ill-tempered at the meeting.' (when meaning the meeting was hostile)
✅The meeting was ill-tempered.
💡for this sense, the event itself is the subject, not a participant.