Hotheaded

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. easily angered and inclined to react impulsively without careful deliberation
2. prone to sudden anger and hasty actions driven by emotion rather than reason
3. Having a tendency to lose temper quickly and act without thinking carefully

Etymology: "Hotheaded" is a plain compound: "hot" plus "headed," meaning having a head that is hot, which in this sense stands for a mind or temperament that heats up quickly. The image runs on an old and widespread idea that anger and passion are a kind of heat rising in the body, so a person who is "hot" is one whose feelings boil over easily. "Headed" here comes from "head" in its sense of a person's mind or disposition, the same sense found in phrases like "level-headed," which is the opposite quality. The pairing works because both parts are ordinary English words that were already used for emotional states. Put together, they describe someone whose temper flares before reason has a chance to catch up. The compound is transparent, so its meaning can be read straight from its parts without any specialist knowledge.

Synonyms: impulsive, quick-tempered, irritable, rash, hasty

Antonyms: calm, composed, level-headed, patient, unflappable