Meaning & use
ill temper
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Meanings
noununcountableformal
A bad, irritable mood that makes someone easily annoyed or angry.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun: 'He was in ill temper.' You do not usually say 'an ill temper' or 'ill tempers'.
Patterns
- in ill temper
- be in ill temper
- with ill temper
After a sleepless night, she was in ill temper all morning.
He answered the phone in ill temper, snapping at the caller for no reason.
The manager's ill temper made everyone avoid him that day.
noununcountableformaldisapproving
A tendency to be habitually bad-tempered or easily angered.
Grammar: Used to describe a person's general character, not just a temporary mood: 'his ill temper' means the way he often is.
Patterns
- someone's ill temper
- a display of ill temper
His ill temper was well known among his colleagues.
She tried to control her ill temper, but the stress was too much.
The team suffered from the coach's constant ill temper.
Common combinations
- in ill temper
- He came home in ill temper after a difficult meeting.
- a fit of ill temper
- She threw the papers down in a fit of ill temper.
- ill-tempered
- An ill-tempered remark can ruin a friendly conversation.
- be in a bad temper
- Don't disturb him; he's in a bad temper today.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bad mood
- This is the everyday, neutral term; 'ill temper' sounds more formal and slightly disapproving.
- irritability
- This focuses on the quality of being easily irritated, often as a medical or psychological term; 'ill temper' is more about the mood itself.
- surliness
- This suggests a silent, unfriendly bad mood; 'ill temper' can be more openly angry.
Opposites
Word family
- ill-tempered adjective
- Often angry or irritable; having a bad temper.
- temper noun
- A person's usual state of mind, especially regarding anger.
Commonly confused: ill temper or temper?
ill temper vs temper
On its own, 'temper' can mean a tendency to get angry ('a bad temper') or a calm state ('keep your temper'). 'Ill temper' specifically means a bad mood or bad-temperedness, and is less common.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'ill temper' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Ill temper' is uncountable and is usually used with 'in': 'He is in ill temper.' Option An is wrong because 'an ill temper' is not standard; option C uses it as a verb, which it is not; option D uses a plural, which is not normal for this uncountable noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ill temper”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.