disposition

[dis-puh-zish-uh n] /ˌdɪs pəˈzɪʃ ən/
noun
1.
the predominant or prevailing tendency of one's spirits; natural mental and emotional outlook or mood; characteristic attitude:
a girl with a pleasant disposition.
2.
state of mind regarding something; inclination:
a disposition to gamble.
3.
physical inclination or tendency:
the disposition of ice to melt when heated.
4.
arrangement or placing, as of troops or buildings.
5.
final settlement of a matter.
6.
bestowal, as by gift or sale.
7.
power to make decisions about or dispose of a thing; control:
funds at one's disposition.
8.
regulation; management; dispensation:
the disposition of God.
Origin
1325-75; Middle English disposicioun (< Anglo-French) < Latin dispositiōn- (stem of dispositiō), equivalent to disposit(us) (past participle of dispōnere to distribute; dispos- (see dispose) + -itus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion
Related forms
dispositional, adjective
redisposition, noun
Synonyms
1. nature, character, humor. Disposition, temper, temperament refer to the aspects and habits of mind and emotion that one displays over a length of time. Disposition is the natural or prevailing aspect of one's mind as shown in behavior and in relationships with others: a happy disposition; a selfish disposition. Temper sometimes denotes the essential quality of one's nature: a glacial temper; usually it has to do with propensity toward anger: an even temper; a quick or hot temper. Temperament refers to the particular balance of emotions determining a person's character: an artistic temperament. 2. bent, tendency, predisposition, proclivity. 4. order, grouping, location, placement. 5. outcome, result. 7. control, direction.
Antonyms
2. unwillingness.
Examples from the web for disposition
  • Their intelligence, friendly disposition, and "smiling" faces make dolphins popular in large aquariums and with divers .
  • The protection and disposition of spent fuel is a national problem.
  • His disposition was orthodox, chivalrous and just.
  • The topic of student work, work necessity, and disposition of student income truly deserves a cogent study.
  • But how someone comes to have a sunny disposition in the first place is an interesting question.
  • Though they lived during roughly the same period, they differed in disposition, situation aspiration and gifts.
  • He is a mediocre senator with a less than stellar disposition and intellect.
  • But it's good to know my impulses about his health and weight and disposition were borne out by the vet and the staff there.
  • It helps to have a sunny disposition.
  • Too often we have neither the time nor the disposition.
British Dictionary definitions for disposition

disposition

/ˌdɪspəˈzɪʃən/
noun
1.
a person's usual temperament or frame of mind
2.
a natural or acquired tendency, inclination, or habit in a person or thing
3.
another word for disposal (sense 2), disposal (sense 3), disposal (sense 4), disposal (sense 5)
4.
(philosophy, logic) a property that consists not in the present state of an object, but in its propensity to change in a certain way under certain conditions, as brittleness which consists in the propensity to break when struck Compare occurrent
5.
(archaic) manner of placing or arranging
Derived Forms
dispositional, adjective
Word Origin and History for disposition
n.

late 14c., "ordering, management," also "tendency of mind," from Old French disposicion (12c.) "arrangement, order; mood, state of mind," from Latin dispositionem (nominative dispositio) "arrangement, management," noun of action from past participle stem of disponere "to put in order, arrange" (see dispose). References to "temperament" (late 14c. in English) are from astrological use of the word for "position of a planet as a determining influence."