1. A sudden outburst of anger
   "his temper sparked like damp firewood";
   - pique, irritation
    
2. A disposition to exhibit uncontrolled anger
   "his temper was well known to all his employees";
   - biliousness, irritability, peevishness, pettishness, snappishness, surliness, snappiness
    
3. A characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
   "whether he praised or cursed me depended on his temper at the time";
   - mood, humor [US], humour [Brit, Cdn]
    
4. The elasticity and hardness of a metal object; its ability to absorb considerable energy before cracking
   "The sword's temper was tested in battle";
   - toughness

1. Make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else
   "she tempered her criticism";
   - season, mollify, moderate
    
2. Change by restraining or moderating
   "Experience tempered her youthful idealism";
   - chasten
    
3. Bring to a desired consistency, texture, or hardness by a process of gradually heating and cooling
   "temper glass";
   - anneal, normalize, normalise [Brit]
    
4. Harden by reheating and cooling in oil
   "temper steel";
   - harden
    
5. Adjust the pitch (of pianos)
   "The piano tuner tempered the instrument before the concert"

Derived forms: tempering, tempers, tempered

Type of: adjust, alter, annoyance, chafe [archaic], change, correct, elasticity, feeling, harden, ill nature, indurate, modify, set, snap, vexation, weaken

Encyclopedia: Temper, or, Domestic Scenes