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
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
Poor sleep leads to more than just crankiness A cranky kid after a bad night’s sleep is bad enough.
—Avery Newmark, AJC.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Parents who live in several specific parts of the country do not have to spend two weeks a year dealing with extra-cranky kids.
—Rosie Colosi, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
If Elvis was ever cranky, that’s been stripped out.
—Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cranky
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Adjective
Who knew that Big 12 Conference expansion would increase the number of cranky people covering the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments?
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
Poor sleep leads to more than just crankiness A cranky kid after a bad night’s sleep is bad enough.
—Avery Newmark, AJC.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Parents who live in several specific parts of the country do not have to spend two weeks a year dealing with extra-cranky kids.
—Rosie Colosi, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
If Elvis was ever cranky, that’s been stripped out.
—Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cranky
Cite this Entry
“Cranky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cranky. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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