Meaning & use
hot-headed person
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A person who easily becomes angry or excited and often acts without thinking.
Grammar: Countable noun phrase; you can say 'a hot-headed person' or 'hot-headed people'.
Patterns
- a hot-headed person
- be a hot-headed person
- hot-headed people
My uncle is a hot-headed person who shouts first and asks questions later.
She's not a hot-headed person, so she rarely loses her temper.
Hot-headed people often regret what they say in the heat of the moment.
Word forms
| plural | hot-headed people |
|---|
Common combinations
- act like a hot-headed person
- He acted like a hot-headed person and quit without thinking.
- a bit of a hot-headed person
- She's a bit of a hot-headed person when she's under pressure.
- hot-headed person in charge
- A hot-headed person in charge can make reckless decisions.
- young and hot-headed person
- As a young and hot-headed person, he took too many risks.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hothead
- A noun for the person, not an adjective; it is more informal and often mildly critical.
- hot-tempered
- Focuses on a tendency to get angry quickly, but may not imply acting without thinking.
- impulsive
- Emphasizes acting suddenly without planning, not necessarily anger.
- rash
- Describes actions that are too hasty; it is more about the act than the person's character.
Opposites
Word family
- hothead noun
- A person who is hot-headed.
- hot-headedness noun
- The quality of being hot-headed.
- hot-headedly adverb
- In a hot-headed manner.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hot-headed person' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The correct answer is C because a hot-headed person is someone who reacts quickly and without thinking. An and B are wrong because they describe the opposite behavior (staying calm, never getting angry). D is wrong because it is not a food.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hot-headed person”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.