Word: disposition (noun)

Associations

The word "disposition" means a person's usual mood, attitude, or way of behaving. It can also mean a natural tendency or inclination toward something.

• She has a cheerful disposition. (This means she is usually happy and positive.)
• His disposition toward helping others makes him a good friend. (This means he naturally likes to help.)
• The disposition of the goods was handled by the shipping department. (Here, disposition means the way something is arranged or dealt with, often in formal or business contexts.)

A close synonym is "temperament," but "temperament" usually refers more to someone's emotional nature over time, often linked to personality traits, while "disposition" can be broader and include attitudes or tendencies.

Substitution

You can often replace "disposition" with:

• temperament (focuses more on emotional nature)
• attitude (more about opinions or feelings in a situation)
• tendency (focuses on natural habits or inclinations)
• mood (temporary emotional state)

Changing the word may slightly change the meaning. For example, "mood" is temporary, but "disposition" is more lasting.

Deconstruction

"Disposition" comes from Latin "disponere," meaning "to arrange" or "to put in place." The prefix "dis-" means "apart" or "away," and "position" means "placement" or "location." So originally, it meant the way things are arranged or placed, which evolved into meaning a person's natural way of being or tendencies.

Inquiry

• Can you think of someone you know who has a positive or negative disposition? How does that affect their behavior?
• How might someone's disposition change in different situations, like at work versus at home?
• What is your own disposition? How does it help you in your daily life?