Basic Details
Word: Choleric
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Bad-tempered and quick to get angry, often over small things.
Synonyms: irritable, hot-tempered, irascible, touchy
Antonyms: calm, placid, even-tempered
Word origin: From Greek kholerikos, from khole, bile.
How to Spell Choleric
Syllables: chol - er - ic
Tricky part: The first sound is k, but it is spelt ch, as in chorus and chemist. The middle vowel is a weak, unstressed e, so students guess and write cholaric or coleric.
Watch out for: coleric, cholaric, chollerick
Memory tip: Think of the disease cholera: both words come from Greek khole, bile, and both begin c-h-o-l.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The choleric shopkeeper shouted at anyone who touched the mangoes without buying.
Example 2: Uncle has grown less choleric since he took up morning yoga.
Example 3: In the novel, the choleric general throws his cup across the tent when the bad news arrives.
Fun Fact
Ancient Greek and medieval doctors believed the body held four humours; too much yellow bile, called choler, was thought to make a person hot-tempered.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word choleric as used in the sentence:
Our choleric neighbour bangs on the wall whenever we practise the tabla.
a) irritable
b) placid
c) cranky
d) testy
Show answer
b) placid. Placid means calm and hard to upset; the other three describe a short temper.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. choleric 2. melancolic 3. sangwine 4. flegmatic
a) cheerful and hopeful
b) easily made angry
c) calm and not easily excited
d) sad and gloomy
Show answer
b) easily made angry. Melancholic needs ch, phlegmatic begins with ph and sanguine has gu, so choleric stands alone as correct.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
c_ol_r_c
a) h, a, i
b) h, e, e
c) o, e, i
d) h, e, i
Show answer
d) h, e, i. Ch gives the k sound, as in chorus, and the unstressed middle vowel is e.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A choleric person is most likely to ____.
a) enjoy long walks alone
b) lose their temper over small things
c) forget names easily
d) sleep late every day
Show answer
b) lose their temper over small things
2. Which word is closest in meaning to choleric?
a) patient
b) irascible
c) timid
d) generous
Show answer
b) irascible
