crankier; crankiest
1
a
: given to fretful fussiness : readily angered when opposed : crotchety
Our long wait … left us a tad cranky.—
Connecticut
Connecticut
b
: marked by eccentricity
… his bizarre and cranky mix of ideas and beliefs …—R. J. Evans
R. J. Evans2
: full of twists and turns : tortuous
a cranky road
3
: working erratically : unpredictable
a cranky old tractor
of a boat
Examples of cranky in a Sentence
Adjective (1)
that old typewriter is handy sometimes, but rather cranky these days
the baby was cranky after not being fed for hours
if cranky children don't appreciate what they already have, then they shouldn't get a thing more
that's just another of his cranky theories about the CIA
the man would inflict on innocent bystanders his cranky ruminations on world events
Recent Examples on the Web
Brian Moylan, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Signs to treat fevers include being unusually sleepy, cranky and refusing food and drinks.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2025
The real Soup Nazi was a notoriously cranky chef named Al Yeganeh, who would refuse service to anyone who committed any number of small infractions while in line for his famously tasty bisques.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
Not in any explicit way—my father wasn’t the cranky, alcoholic ex-minor league baseball player who drove around Los Angeles with his pool cleaning equipment in the back of his Cadillac convertible played by Matthau.
—Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cranky
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Adjective
When talking about his cake, Noel asks Aaron what the hero flavor will be because Paul gets cranky when there isn’t one.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Signs to treat fevers include being unusually sleepy, cranky and refusing food and drinks.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2025
The real Soup Nazi was a notoriously cranky chef named Al Yeganeh, who would refuse service to anyone who committed any number of small infractions while in line for his famously tasty bisques.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
Not in any explicit way—my father wasn’t the cranky, alcoholic ex-minor league baseball player who drove around Los Angeles with his pool cleaning equipment in the back of his Cadillac convertible played by Matthau.
—Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cranky
Cite this Entry
“Cranky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cranky. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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