Vocabulary
Disposition: character, tendency, and other meanings
Did a coworker mention your calm disposition today? You might wonder if they meant your mood.
Disposition can mean your usual nature or how you tend to act. Read the words around it to choose the sense that fits.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
disposition dis-puh-ZISH-un
The short answer
Disposition often means someone's usual nature or how they tend to act. In formal writing, you may also see it used for a layout, a property transfer, or a case's outcome.
She has a cheerful disposition that brightens the office.
Why it works: The word shows that she tends to be warm and friendly at work.
3 more examples
-
Team meeting
He has a calm disposition even when projects get busy.
Here calm disposition means that he tends to stay calm.
Not this:He is in a
calm moodthis morning. What changes: Mood focuses on how he feels this morning. The first sentence is about his usual nature. -
Project debrief
She showed a disposition to check facts before speaking.
Use to and a base verb to show how someone tends to act.
Not this:She showed a disposition
to checksfacts before speaking. What changes: Checks is the wrong verb form after to here. -
At home
Our new puppy has a very gentle disposition.
Animals can also have a gentle disposition.
Not this:Our new puppy has a very
gentle disposal. What changes: Disposal does not describe the puppy's character.
Quick check
What does your team lead mean by praising your cheerful disposition during a rush?
Morning shift review
Answer: Your usual friendly character
Show the answer
Answer: Your usual friendly character
The word cheerful tells you that this is about your usual friendly nature.
Read the full guide
A manager says a new colleague stays calm and likes to check details. Both points could use disposition. First, work out whether the speaker means her usual nature or how she tends to act.
Choose the meaning from context
The problem: I cannot tell whether disposition means someone's character, a tendency, an arrangement, or a legal outcome.
Start with how the person tends to act. Are they calm, cheerful, or quick to worry? This is their usual nature. The word can also mean a tendency or willingness to act. That need not be a habit you repeat each day.
This shows what the person is usually like.
He has a sunny disposition with clients.
This shows what someone is inclined to do.
She has a disposition to doubt quick promises.
| Formal context | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A plan or layout | Arrangement | The diagram shows the disposition of chairs around the table. |
| Property or money | Transfer or distribution | The document records the disposition of the land. |
| A court case | Final decision or outcome | The report gives the final disposition of the case. |
Your turn
A manager says: 'David has a nervous disposition during client calls.' What does this mean?
Client support desk
Answer: David tends to feel anxious during calls.
Show the answer
Answer: David tends to feel anxious during calls.
This phrase means that David tends to feel anxious when he takes calls.
Make the third part strongest
The problem: I make the wrong part of the word sound strongest.
Say dis-puh-ZISH-un. The main stress (the part you make strongest) is on ZISH. Each spoken part is a syllable. Keep the vowels in the second and fourth parts weak.
- Mark
Did I put the stress in the right place?
- Sarah
Yes. The strongest syllable was ZISH.
Your turn
Which part do you make strongest in disposition?
Pronunciation practice
Answer: ZISH
Show the answer
Answer: ZISH
Make the third part, ZISH, strongest when you say the word.
Disposition or disposal?
The problem: I confuse a person's disposition with disposal of unwanted things.
When you talk about getting rid of waste, use the phrase waste disposal. For a person's nature, you can use cheerful disposition. The words can share other senses in formal writing, such as documents about land or waste.
This is about what the guide is usually like.
The guide's cheerful disposition put the group at ease.
This is about getting rid of things no longer needed.
The office pays a company for waste disposal.
Your turn
Complete the sentence with disposition or disposal.
Describing a nurse's manner at work
Answer: Despite a stressful shift, the nurse kept her usual cheerful disposition.
Show the answer
Answer: disposition
The nurse tends to be cheerful. Only disposition fits that meaning here.
Choose the right partner words
The problem: I am unsure which verb form to use after disposition to.
Use disposition to with a base verb for how you tend or are willing to act. Toward or towards can come before a noun or an -ing form. Of a quiet disposition is a formal way to describe someone's nature.
-
Not this:
He has a disposition to complains about schedules.Say: He has a disposition to complain about schedules.
Use the base verb complain after infinitive to.
-
She is an artist of a peaceful disposition.
Why it works: You can use this phrase for someone's usual nature. It sounds formal.
-
Tom showed a disposition to agree with the group.
Why it works: To agree shows what Tom was willing or inclined to do.
-
The team showed a disposition toward caution.
Why it works: The noun caution tells you which way the team was inclined.
Your turn
Arrange the words to describe Clara's quiet nature.
Describing a coworker
Answer: Clara is a writer of a quiet disposition.
Show the answer
Answer: Clara is a writer of a quiet disposition.
You can use of a quiet disposition for someone's usual nature. This pattern sounds formal.
Before you go
Question 1 of 2
In a document about property, what does 'the disposition of the estate' mean?
Reading legal papers
Answer: The official distribution of property
Show the answer
Answer: The official distribution of property
Here the phrase is about how the estate is passed on or shared out.
Question 2 of 2 · One new sentence
A nurse tells you: 'The therapy dog has a gentle disposition with young patients.' What is the nurse describing?
Community clinic visit
Answer: The animal's usual calm temperament
Show the answer
Answer: The animal's usual calm temperament
The nurse is telling you what the dog is usually like with young patients.
Remember this
Read the whole phrase to choose the sense. It may be about someone's nature or how they tend to act. In a legal text, it could mean something quite different.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Disposition: character, tendency, and other meanings"
What does disposition mean when describing a person?
A person's disposition is their usual character or way of reacting. Adjectives such as cheerful, patient, or nervous describe that pattern. A mood often describes how someone feels for a shorter time, so a bad afternoon does not necessarily show their usual disposition.
Rosa has a patient disposition, even with very young students.
Rosa is in a bad mood today because she lost her phone.
How do I use disposition to describe a tendency?
Use a disposition to followed by a base verb when you mean a tendency to act that way. You can also use a disposition toward or towards followed by a noun. These patterns sound formal; tendency is often a simpler choice.
Our new assistant shows a disposition to help others.
The committee showed a disposition toward compromise.
How do I pronounce disposition?
Say disposition in four parts: dis-puh-ZISH-un. Put the main stress on ZISH, the third part. The vowel in puh is weak, and the s at the start of ZISH has a z sound. Try the word slowly, then use it in a full sentence.
Tara repeated the word disposition slowly.
A cheerful disposition can make a long wait easier.
What is the difference between disposition and disposal?
Use disposition for someone's temperament or tendency. Disposal commonly means getting rid of something, as in waste disposal. The words can also appear in formal discussions of property, so check that context separately rather than treating them as interchangeable in every sentence.
The horse's gentle disposition helped the nervous rider.
I read the leaflet about safe paint disposal.
What can disposition mean in formal writing?
Check what the surrounding words refer to. Disposition can describe how things are arranged. In business or legal writing, it can refer to transferring property or to the final outcome of a case. Those meanings concern an arrangement or decision rather than someone's personality.
The plan shows the disposition of seats around the stage.
The report records the final disposition of the case.
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