quick-tempered
Short fuse personality
Quick-tempered describes someone who angers easily or loses their temper with little provocation.
The trait suggests a short fuse rather than sustained rage—quick to flare up, often quick to cool down: He's quick-tempered but doesn't hold grudges.
The hyphenated form functions as a compound adjective.
Prone to outbursts
- testyShort-tempered, easily provoked
- touchyEasily upset or offended
- crankyIll-tempered and peevish
- grumpyIrritable in temperament
peevish · petulant · cantankerous · grouchy · cross · tetchy · snappish · crabby
Liable to sudden change
- fieryIntensely hot or passionate
- hot-headedProne to sudden anger
- hair-triggerExtremely sensitive mechanism
- eruptiveTending to burst forth
combustible · incendiary · tempestuous · mercurial · flare-up · tinderbox · seething · fuming
Excessively prone to offense
- thin-skinnedEasily hurt by remarks
- defensiveProtective or easily threatened
- bristlyCovered with stiff hairs
- pricklySpiny or irritable
hypersensitive · overreactive · touchy · provoked · impulsive · rash · hasty · precipitate
Hostile and eager to clash
- confrontationalInclined toward hostile encounters
- combativeInclined toward conflict
- pugnaciousInclined to quarrel
- truculentAggressively hostile disposition
hostile · antagonistic · contentious · quarrelsome · bellicose · provocative · threatening · intimidating
irascible
Prone to outbursts
grumpy · peevish · petulant · cantankerous · grouchy · cross · tetchy · snappish · crabby · querulous
volatile
Liable to sudden change
- fieryIntensely hot or passionate
- hot-headedProne to sudden anger
- hair-triggerExtremely sensitive mechanism
eruptive · combustible · incendiary · tempestuous · mercurial · flare-up · tinderbox · seething · fuming · raging
oversensitive
Excessively prone to offense
- thin-skinnedEasily hurt by remarks
- defensiveProtective or easily threatened
- bristlyCovered with stiff hairs
prickly · hypersensitive · overreactive · touchy · provoked · impulsive · rash · hasty · precipitate · knee-jerk
belligerent
Hostile and eager to clash
- confrontationalInclined toward hostile encounters
- combativeInclined toward conflict
- pugnaciousInclined to quarrel
truculent · hostile · antagonistic · contentious · quarrelsome · bellicose · provocative · threatening · intimidating · bullying
wrathful
Extremely angry
infuriated · livid · furious · indignant · outraged · apoplectic · mad · heated · inflamed · smoldering
- hot-temperedhotheaded, hair-trigger, fiery, volatile, explosive
- reactivereactive, excitable, volatile, high-strung, jumpy
- temperamentscholeric, phlegmatic, melancholic, sanguine, introvert
quick-temperedeven-tempered
Reliably calm disposition
calm · cool-headed · patient · placid · unflappable
quick-temperedgood-natured
Having a friendly temperament
good-tempered · genial · affable · amiable · agreeable
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