well-tempered

adjective

good-humoured, pleasant, having an even temperament

OriginGerman wohltemperiert →
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Meanings

adjectivewell-tempered (not comparable)
  1. archaicnot comparablegood-humoured, pleasant, having an even temperament
  2. not comparableentertainmentHaving twelve notes per octave of the standard instrument tuned in such a way that it is possible to play music in any major or minor key and the resulting sound will not sound perceptibly too far out of tune.

Origin

  1. Germanwohltemperiert
  2. Englishwell-tempered

A calque of German wohltemperiert

More words from German

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

well-tempered. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/well-tempered

MLA

“well-tempered.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/well-tempered. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “well-tempered,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/well-tempered.

Source: well-tempered on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.