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temperamental

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The definition of temperamental is someone or something that is prone to wild swings of emotion or that does not behave or work reliably.

(adjective)

A car engine that is temperamental is one that doesn't start reliably or that starts only under certain conditions.
A person who gets mad or happy easily and swings from one emotion to the other is an example of someone who is temperamental.

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See temperamental in Webster's New World College Dictionary

adjective

of or caused by temperament
having an excitable temperament; easily upset
erratic in behavior; unpredictable

Related Forms:

temperamentally adverb

See temperamental in American Heritage Dictionary 4

adjective

Relating to or caused by temperament: our temperamental differences.
Excessively sensitive or irritable; moody.
Likely to perform unpredictably; undependable: a temperamental motor.

Related Forms:

temˌper·a·menˈtal·ly adverb

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