temperamental

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++tem·pe·ra·men·tal /ˌtempərəˈmentl◂/ adjective 1 EMOTIONALlikely to suddenly become upset, excited, or angry – used to show disapproval 喜怒无常的；易兴奋的；易怒的〔含贬义〕 Preston is particularly good at handling temperamental people. 普雷斯顿特别擅长对付喜怒无常的人。2 BROKENa machine, system etc that is temperamental does not always work properly 〔机器、系统等〕性能不稳定的 Sorry if the heater’s a bit temperamental. 很抱歉加热器性能不稳定。3 CHARACTER/PERSONALITYrelating to the emotional part of someone’s character 气质的，性情的，性格的 serious temperamental differences between the couple 夫妻之间性格上的严重不合 —temperamentally adverb

Examples from the Corpus

temperamental• The Prince was not as temperamental as his father.• Surely temperamental exchanges of this nature should occur somewhat later in a relationship.• our temperamental housekeeper• Jo's car is very temperamental in the mornings. Sometimes it starts and sometimes it doesn't.• The only heating was from a temperamental iron stove in the centre of each hut.• Claire Chennault was the temperamental opposite of Stilwell.• Mike and Louis are temperamental opposites.• I am not prone to emotional or temperamental reactions in victory or defeat.• His top offensive threats are two temperamental sophomores, and he made a major schematic shift in midseason.• The concert was good, despite a temperamental sound system.• This may be due to parental management techniques but may also be due to the temperamental state of the child.