Meaning & use
foul tempers
Last updated
Meaning
nounplural
Angry, irritable moods or dispositions that make someone easy to anger.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun; the singular is 'a foul temper'.
Patterns
- have a foul temper
- be in a foul temper
- foul tempers flare
After a sleepless night, both drivers were in foul tempers and shouted at each other.
The coach warned that foul tempers would cost the team the match.
Common combinations
- in a foul temper
- She was in a foul temper all morning because her flight was delayed.
- foul tempers flare
- When the heat rose, foul tempers flared in the crowded market.
- have a foul temper
- He has a foul temper, so people avoid him before he has had coffee.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bad moods
- Less intense and more everyday; 'foul tempers' suggests noticeable anger.
- irritability
- More formal and often medical or psychological; it describes a tendency rather than a passing state.
Opposites
Word family
- foul-tempered adjective
- Having a bad temper; often angry.
- temper noun
- A person's tendency to become angry or stay calm.
Commonly confused: foul tempers or fowl?
foul tempers vs fowl
'Fowl' means a bird, especially a farm bird; 'foul' here means bad or unpleasant.
Practice
The children were in ______ tempers after being kept indoors all day.
Choose one answer.
'Foul' is the adjective meaning bad or angry, which fits 'tempers'. 'Fowl' is a bird, and 'fouled' and 'fouling' are verb forms that do not modify 'tempers' here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “foul tempers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.