1. mentally disturbed or unbalanced; agitated or upset
Usage: somewhat archaic or literary
2. painted with distemper (a type of water-based paint)
Usage: technical, art

Examples

• The distempered king made erratic decisions that worried his advisors.
• Her distempered mind could not focus on the simple task.
• The artist created murals using distempered walls as his canvas.
• The distempered surface provided an ideal base for the fresco.
• His distempered state lasted for several days after the traumatic event.