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
Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Dec. 2025
The beach read queen notches her fifth consecutive GCA win with Great Big Beautiful Life, in which a sunny aspiring writer and a cranky literary icon compete to write the memoir of a shady octogenarian heiress.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
The new musical comedy show will star a frazzled leader, ambitious lieutenant, playful maverick, cranky grouch and quirky problem solver, according to the Disney Auditions website.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 2 Dec. 2025
Despite ignoring his initial greeting and relying on her cranky anti-neighborly attitude to dissuade further outreach, Nile won’t relent.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cranky
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Adjective
There's no better way to get into the Christmas spirit than watching everyone's favorite cranky character descend upon Whoville.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Dec. 2025
The beach read queen notches her fifth consecutive GCA win with Great Big Beautiful Life, in which a sunny aspiring writer and a cranky literary icon compete to write the memoir of a shady octogenarian heiress.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
The new musical comedy show will star a frazzled leader, ambitious lieutenant, playful maverick, cranky grouch and quirky problem solver, according to the Disney Auditions website.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 2 Dec. 2025
Despite ignoring his initial greeting and relying on her cranky anti-neighborly attitude to dissuade further outreach, Nile won’t relent.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 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 10 Dec. 2025.
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