1. One's usual mood; temperament: a sweet disposition.2a. 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. A final settlement: disposition of the deceased's property.5. An act of disposing; a bestowal or transfer to another. 6a. The power or liberty to control, direct, or dispose. b. Management; control.
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English disposicioun, from Old French disposition, from Latin dispositi, dispositin-, from dispositus, past participle of dispnere, 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 physical, emotional, and intellectual components that affect or determine a person's actions and reactions: “She is . . . of a serene and proud and dignified temperament” (H.G. Wells, Ann Veronica: A Modern Love Story 1909.) Character especially emphasizes 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: possessed a truly unique 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).
d
s
p
-z
, dispositi
