grumpier; grumpiest
: moodily cross : surly
grumpily adverb
grumpiness noun

Examples of grumpy in a Sentence

Our neighbor is a grumpy old man. I was feeling grumpy after my long flight.
Recent Examples on the Web Giamatti’s charmingly grumpy turn in The Holdovers is a great reminder of everything he’s brought to the table for decades as an actor, and the same could be said for first-time nominee Wright. David Sims, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024 Aided by her friend’s mother (her own was too grumpy), Caroline retrieved my Toyota, $200 poorer. Maria Garriott, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 Mar. 2024 And hopefully, by the end, everyone will be feeling quite grumpy. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 Some of the Giants Super Bowls teams were likeable adjacent, but Tom Coughlin was grumpy as hell. Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024 This sweet — and sometimes grumpy — overtired youngster will be familiar to any parent. Wendy Dunn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Jan. 2024 Day 3: The Grand Canyon and brunch at the Bellagio Just a hop, skip, and a helicopter ride away from the neon lights of Vegas, the Grand Canyon’s awe-inspiring vistas will make even the grumpiest kid look up in wonder. Laura Parker, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 For the last two-plus decades, David's grumpy television persona has poorly navigated his social life and trivial daily events, often to hilarious results. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024 Seems like can't get enough of the amusing juxtaposition between Boomers' grumpy, laissez-faire parenting and Millennials' endlessly appeasing, hands-on style. Maressa Brown, Parents, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grumpy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grumpy was in 1778

Dictionary Entries Near grumpy

Cite this Entry

“Grumpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grumpy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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