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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Temper Meaning, Examples, and Usage Tips (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：angry mood (temper)

temper 🔊

/ˈtɛmpər/

a person's tendency to become angry quickly; an angry mood.

Man showing temper frustration at desk in home office

angry mood 🔊

➕

/ˈæŋɡri muːd/

The tendency to become angry easily; a state of irritability or fury.

📁 Category：Physical & Mental Health 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'temperare' meaning 'to mix or moderate', related to 'temperature' and 'temperament'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of 'temper' as 'temperature' of your emotions - too hot, you lose your temper.

📖 Example

He has a short temper and often gets upset over small things at work. 🔊 He is quick to anger and frequently becomes annoyed by minor workplace issues.

🔗 Collocations

short temper – a tendency to get angry easily

lose one's temper – to become angry suddenly

control one's temper – to manage anger

🔄 Synonyms

irritability (n.) – the quality of being easily annoyed or angered

anger (n.) – a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility

rage (n.) – violent, uncontrollable anger

🚫 Antonyms

calmness (n.) – the state of being peaceful and not angry

patience (n.) – the ability to remain calm and not become angry

composure (n.) – the state of being calm and in control of emotions

🌱 Derivatives

tempered (adj.) – having a specified kind of temper

tempering (n.) – the act of moderating or hardening

temperance (n.) – self-control, especially in avoiding excess

📖 Cultural Story

Originally from Latin 'temperare' (to mix properly), it evolved to mean a balanced state of mind or metal hardness. In medieval alchemy, tempering was key to making steel.

Meaning 2：moderate or strengthen (temper)

temper 🔊

/ˈtɛmpər/

to make something less extreme or severe; to bring to a proper or desired state, especially for metals.

Chef tempering chocolate sauce in saucepan close-up

moderate or strengthen 🔊

➕

/ˈmɒdəreɪt ɔːr ˈstrɛŋkθən/

To make something less extreme or severe; to bring to a proper or desired state, especially for metals.

📁 Category：Objects & Materials 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

You can temper the sweetness of the cake by adding a little lemon juice. 🔊 You can reduce the sweetness of the cake by adding a little lemon juice.

🔗 Collocations

temper steel – to heat and cool steel to make it harder

temper chocolate – to heat and cool chocolate to give it a smooth finish

temper one's expectations – to make one's expectations less extreme

🔄 Synonyms

moderate (v.) – to make something less extreme or intense

adjust (v.) – to alter something to achieve a desired state

harden (v.) – to make something physically harder, especially metal

🚫 Antonyms

worsen (v.) – to make something worse or more severe

intensify (v.) – to make something stronger or more extreme

soften (v.) – to make something physically or emotionally softer

🌱 Derivatives

tempered (adj.) – treated by tempering (e.g., tempered steel)

tempering (n.) – the process of tempering metal or chocolate

untempered (adj.) – not tempered; lacking proper treatment