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n. 1. One's usual mood; temperament: a sweet disposition. 2. a. A habitual inclination; a tendency: a disposition to disagree. b. A physical property or tendency: a swelling with a disposition to rupture. 3. Arrangement, positioning, or distribution: a cheerful disposition of colors and textures; a convoy oriented into a north-south disposition. 4. An act of disposing; a bestowal or transfer to another. 5. The power or liberty to control, direct, or dispose: the funds that were put at her disposition. [Middle English disposicioun, from Old French disposition, from Latin dispositiō, dispositiōn-, from dispositus, past participle of dispōnere, to dispose; see DISPOSE.] Synonyms: disposition, temperament, character, personality, nature These nouns refer to the combination of qualities that identify a person. Disposition is approximately equivalent to prevailing frame of mind or spirit: "A patronizing disposition always has its meaner side" (George Eliot). Temperament applies broadly to the sum of emotions, habits, and beliefs that affect or determine a person's actions and reactions: "She is ... of a very serene and proud and dignified temperament" (H.G. Wells). Character can refer to a defining or distinguishing set of personal traits: "Whatever his peculiarities of character and outlook, he was far and away the most conversable person in our circle" (Andrew Ryan). More often, though, it emphasizes a person's positive moral and ethical qualities: "Education has for its object the formation of character" (Herbert Spencer). Personality is the sum of distinctive traits that give a person individuality: an outgoing, friendly personality. Nature denotes native or inherent qualities: "It is my habit,—I hope I may say, my nature,—to believe the best of people" (George W. Curtis). |
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