short fuse
Easily provoked disposition
A short fuse describes someone who angers quickly or easily.
The metaphor comes from explosives—a shorter fuse means less time before detonation.
Someone with a short fuse has little patience and erupts at minor provocations: Watch what you say around him; he's got a short fuse.
The opposite is a long fuse.
Unwilling to wait
- restlessUnable to be still
- antsyRestlessly eager or nervous
- agitatedEmotionally disturbed, restless
- edgyTense and irritable
tense · hasty · fidgety · intolerant · exasperated · frustrated · hair-trigger · quick-tempered
impatient
Unwilling to wait
edgy · tense · hasty · fidgety · intolerant · exasperated · frustrated · hair-trigger · quick-tempered · thin-skinned
temper
State of mind
wrath · ire · explosion · blowup · tantrum · meltdown · tirade · flare-up · eruption · firebrand
irritable
Easily provoked to annoyance
cranky · grumpy · grouchy · peevish · petulant · cantankerous · irascible · crotchety · surly · churlish
- anger expressionssee red, seeing red, lose your temper, blow a gasket, blow your top
- grumpinessgrumpiness, crankiness, moodiness, sullenness, grouchiness
- irritabilitycranky, grouchy, grumpy, irritated, annoyed
- emotional volatilitymood swings, lability, volatility, dysregulation, ups and downs
- impulsivityimpulsiveness, impulsivity, rashness, recklessness, hastiness
- sensitivitysensitivity, sensitive, hypersensitivity, oversensitivity, hypersensitive
short fusepatience
Calm during delays
forbearance · equanimity · tolerance · thick skin · imperturbability
short fusecomposure
Emotional self-control
self-control · calm · coolheadedness · cool head · serenity
short fusecalm
Free from agitation
cool as a cucumber · unflappable · composed · serene · tranquil
short, fuse, shortly, shortcut, fused, shorter, diffuse, shortness, shortened