hothead
noun
Forms hotheads
- noun (idiomatic, derogatory) One who is prone to anger or who actively seeks out conflicts and confrontations. “The club was full of eager young hotheads who never seemed to be able to agree on anything.”
- noun (idiomatic, derogatory) One who reacts or responds rapidly without engaging in careful deliberation. “Someone get this hothead out of here before he does some damage.”
Synonyms
fire-eater daredevil madcap swashbuckler lunatic harum-scarum
Etymology
From hot + head. Compare English hotbrain (“a hothead”); Middle English hot-heorte, hat-heorte (“anger”), Old English hātheort (“furious, angry, irascible, passionate, ardent”, literally “hot-heart”).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “hothead”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details