temper tantrum: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B1Informal, used across registers from everyday conversation to clinical/psychological writing.
Quick answer
What does “temper tantrum” mean?
A sudden, uncontrolled outburst of anger or frustration, typically by a child, involving crying, screaming, and sometimes physical actions like kicking or throwing oneself on the floor.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A sudden, uncontrolled outburst of anger or frustration, typically by a child, involving crying, screaming, and sometimes physical actions like kicking or throwing oneself on the floor.
An outburst of bad temper or petulant, childish anger, often used to describe similar behavior from adults in informal contexts.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. Both use the term identically.
Connotations
Identical connotations in both dialects.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties.
Grammar
How to Use “temper tantrum” in a Sentence
to have/throw a temper tantruma temper tantrum over [something]a temper tantrum about [something]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “temper tantrum” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- He's tantruming again because he can't have the toy.
- The toddler tantrumed all through the supermarket.
American English
- The child tantrumed for an hour.
- She's known to tantrum when she doesn't get her way.
adjective
British English
- He's in a tantrum state.
- We're dealing with tantrum behaviour.
American English
- It was a tantrum-filled afternoon.
- Her tantrum response was unexpected.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used metaphorically to criticize a colleague or superior for an unprofessional, emotional outburst, e.g., 'The CEO threw a temper tantrum when he saw the quarterly report.'
Academic
Used in developmental psychology and education literature to describe a common childhood behavior.
Everyday
Very common when talking about children's behavior; used humorously or critically about adults.
Technical
A recognized behavioral term in psychology, sometimes abbreviated to 'tantrum'.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “temper tantrum”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “temper tantrum”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “temper tantrum”
- Incorrect article: 'He had temper tantrum.' (Correct: 'He had a temper tantrum.')
- Plural form confusion: 'temper tantrums' is correct for multiple instances.
- Using 'temper' alone when the full phrase is needed for the specific meaning.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
A temper tantrum specifically involves a loud, dramatic, and often physical loss of control, typically associated with young children. General anger does not necessarily involve these public, uncontrolled displays.
Yes, but the term is used informally and critically to describe adult behavior that is seen as childish, irrational, and overly emotional, often in response to not getting what they want.
Yes, in most contexts 'tantrum' is a perfectly acceptable and common short form of 'temper tantrum'. The meaning is identical.
Yes, the plural form is 'temper tantrums', used to refer to multiple instances of this behavior.
A sudden, uncontrolled outburst of anger or frustration, typically by a child, involving crying, screaming, and sometimes physical actions like kicking or throwing oneself on the floor.
Temper tantrum is usually informal, used across registers from everyday conversation to clinical/psychological writing. in register.
Temper tantrum: in British English it is pronounced /ˈtem.pə ˌtæn.trəm/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈtem.pɚ ˌtæn.trəm/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “throw your toys out of the pram (UK, similar concept)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a child's TEMPER getting so hot it explodes into a TANTRUM. TEMPER + TANTRUM.
Conceptual Metaphor
ANGER IS HEATED FLUID IN A CONTAINER (the pressure builds and explodes). BEING CHILDISH IS BEING IMMATURE.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the phrase 'temper tantrum' LEAST likely to be used seriously?