Ill-tempered means quick to get angry over nothing. Snapping at the question rather than answering it.
It describes a settled disposition rather than one bad afternoon, which is what separates it from cross or annoyed: an ill-tempered man is like that most days. The word also transfers neatly to events, and an ill-tempered match or an ill-tempered debate is one full of fouls and interruptions, which is where sports reporting uses it constantly. Its opposite is good-tempered, and the pair are worth learning together since English uses that ill- and good- contrast in several places.
1adjectiveill-temperedEasily annoyed and often angry.
“He was an ill-tempered old man who shouted at cyclists.”
synonyms: irritable, cantankerous
2adjectiveeventOf an event, marked by anger and bad feeling.
“It was an ill-tempered match with four bookings.”
From ill + tempered.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in A Man Called Ove
First appears in chapter 7 of A Man Called Ove.
Practise this word