as in irritable
having or showing a habitually bad temper
an ill-tempered cat will scratch with little provocation
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Recent Examples of ill-tempered
On balance, however, Billy Wagner, an imposing 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, came off as brash and blustery, foul-mouthed and ill-tempered in witness testimony.
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Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Lemon's interview with Musk delves into numerous topics, ranging from the entrepreneur's views on race to X's loss of advertisers over his antisemitic comments, with Musk growing increasingly ill-tempered with Lemon over the course of the discussion.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 18 Mar. 2024
If the person in charge is ill-tempered, thrives on conflict, and easily persuaded, problems are made worse.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 27 May 2023
Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Lemon's interview with Musk delves into numerous topics, ranging from the entrepreneur's views on race to X's loss of advertisers over his antisemitic comments, with Musk growing increasingly ill-tempered with Lemon over the course of the discussion.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 18 Mar. 2024
If the person in charge is ill-tempered, thrives on conflict, and easily persuaded, problems are made worse.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 27 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-tempered
Adjective
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Even if a more irritable side of her personality has emerged, there’s no excuse for cruelty.R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024
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In worst-case scenarios, pain can cause a dog to be more irritable and aggressive, like if a human had a severe headache and couldn't tolerate social interaction, Enomoto said.Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 8 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Early this year, the company had a PR problem as angry customers raged online about higher menu prices.Allison Morrow, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024
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Advertisement When questioned about the next day’s testimony, Netanyahu became visibly angry.Tia Goldenberg, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The endearing homecoming introduces new characters including Moni (Hualalai Chung), a passionate island bard; Loto (Rose Matafeo), a quirky shipwright; Kele (David Fane), a cantankerous farmer; and Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), Moana’s tenacious younger sister.Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Nov. 2024
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Pic directed by Christopher Andrews, who is making his feature directing debut, follows Michael (Abbott) who is the last son of a farming family, and lives an isolated existence with his ailing, cantankerous father Ray.Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The toy comes to life, fends off some ornery mice with his sword and leads Clara through a wintry dreamworld of dancing Christmas treats.Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Dec. 2024
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Throughout the movie, the ornery Scrooge (played by George C. Scott) is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future.Olatunji Osho-Williams, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Rufo should know this, at which point someone who caucuses with the right should be pleased to keep his own, frequently laudatory views (there’s much that’s disagreeable about DEI, ESG and other acronyms) separate from government force at all levels.John Tamny, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
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Some repel deer with a disagreeable taste, such as hot pepper.Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The Eagles, who sold more than a hundred and fifty million albums, rode a tide of surly melancholy and bell-bottom jeans much further than anyone expected, and Henley viewed himself not merely as a celebrity with lawyers on call but as a troubadour in the heroic tradition.Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
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Way too little accountability Florida’s sweeping 2023 voucher expansion gives any parent in Florida roughly $8,000 in private school tuition to escape the surly bonds of a public system state lawmakers won’t adequately fund.Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 16 May 2024
Adjective
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And while there is enough splenetic wit and manic detail to generate obsessive fandom (entire sections of Web sites are dedicated to deciphering just what Kenny is mumbling), subjects like alien abduction, genetic engineering, and Kathie Lee are hardly original targets for satire.Chris Norris, SPIN, 13 Aug. 2022
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Meanwhile, the commentator and controversialist Piers Morgan, an obsessively close observer and relentless critic of Meghan, inevitably waded in with his usual splenetic views.Sarah Lyall, New York Times, 17 Sep. 2022
Adjective
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Not altogether surprising because the proliferation of guns and incendiary political rhetoric over the past few decades — and especially the last few bilious years — made the shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pa., seemingly just a matter of time.Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2024
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The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) Rampant exposure to this movie on cable suggests that Scorsese’s bilious portrait of Jordan Belfort may soon join GoodFellas as one of the director’s most intensely rewatchable efforts.Will Leitch, Vulture, 8 Mar. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near ill-tempered
Cite this Entry
“Ill-tempered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-tempered. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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