ˌdispəˈzishən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English disposicioun, from Middle French disposition, from Latin disposition-, dispositio, from dispositus (past participle of disponere to set in order, arrange) + -ion-, -io -ion — more at dispose
1. : the act or the power of disposing or disposing of or the state of being disposed or disposed of: as
a. : administration , control , management ; often : divine dispensation
received the law by the disposition of angels — Acts 7:53 (Authorized Version)
b. : a placing elsewhere, a giving over to the care or possession of another, or a relinquishing
saw to the disposition of all surplus goods by shipment to needy countries
the disposition of the garbage was always a problem
: the power of so placing, giving, ridding oneself of, relinquishing, or doing with as one wishes : discretionary control — used especially in the phrase at the disposition of ; specifically : the transfer of property from one to another (as by gift, barter, or sale or by will) or the scheme or arrangement by which such transfer is effected
c. : an ordering or arranging or a state of being ordered or arranged usually systematically or in an orderly way and especially of the parts of a whole : orderly preparation or placing : arrangement
the disposition of the parts of his argument made his speech forceful and tidy
the disposition of the artillery was shown on the map
2.
a. : the prevailing tendency, aspect, mood, or inclination of one's spirits
with large blue eyes that … showed her thoughts and dispositions — Hugh Walpole
woke up in a nasty disposition
: the complex of attitudes, proclivities, and responses conditioning conduct : propensity
his disposition was to make the worst of bad fortune
conservatism with them is not so much a program as a disposition or attitude or temper — Daniel Aaron
: temperamental makeup
a man of broad sympathies and a genial disposition
b.
(1) obsolete : physical condition : health
(2) archaic : constitution , nature
c. : the inclination, tendency, or power of anything to act in a certain manner under given circumstances
the disposition of sugar to dissolve in water
the disposition to war or to peace in human societies seems to be a matter of economic, political, social, and psychological structurings of the society itself — Weston LaBarre
3. : the number and types of stops in an organ : the makeup of an organ
4. dispositions plural : strategical or tactical military plans
the general perfected his dispositions for the campaign
5. : the sentence given to or treatment prescribed for a juvenile offender
boys 12 to 16 who were sent to his ward for routine observation pending disposition by the courts — Charles Grutzner
Synonyms:
complexion , temperament , personality , individuality , temper , character : disposition refers to one's accustomed attitudes and moods in reacting to life around one
ages of fierceness have overlaid what is naturally kindly in the dispositions of ordinary men and women — Bertrand Russell
the taint of his father's insanity perhaps appeared in his unbalanced disposition — E.S.Bates
complexion blends together notions involving mood and attitude and ideas about ways of thinking
the rationalist mind, radically taken, is of a doctrinaire and authoritative complexion: the phrase ‘must be’ is ever on its lips — William James
great thinkers of various complexion, who differing in many fundamental points, all alike assert the relativity of truth — Havelock Ellis
temperament may suggest individual proclivities, especially as colored by feeling and emotion and especially in matters social or creative
the electric amenities that pass between artistic temperaments at different tensions still find free play — J.L.Lowes
melancholy was the dominant note of his temperament … a melancholy tempered by recurrences of faith and resignation and simple joy — James Joyce
personality stresses those traits the composite of which tends to individualize one in his society, often those which attract, which give popularity, ready appeal, or decisive or compelling interest
the personality of the brilliant secretary of the treasury is not clearly defined. The inner man … is unfortunately neglected — J.C.Miller
by sheer personality he has so far propped up a somewhat artificial arrangement with the smaller parties — Economist
individuality stresses an individualizing and distinguishing composite of traits
an individuality, a style of its own — Willa Cather
detected for the first time, beneath the dehumanized drudge, the stirrings of a separate and perhaps capricious individuality — Arnold Bennett
temper may indicate the frame of mind with which one makes choices and decisions, faces difficulties or problems, or controls and governs himself
a less dogmatic temper is becoming apparent among the scientists themselves — Irving Babbitt
after four years of fighting, the temper of the victors was such that they were quite incapable of making a just settlement — Aldous Huxley
character may suggest the deep, fundamental, and established complex of moral traits, the genuine and lasting individualizing inner nature of a person
that inexorable law of human souls that we prepare ourselves for sudden deeds by the reiterated choice of good or evil that determines character — George Eliot
character, or what is fixed, hard, and resistant in human nature, cannot be expressed lyrically — Times Literary Supplement