crotchety

adjective

crotch·​ety ˈkrä-chə-tē 

1

: given to crotchets (see crotchet sense 2a) : subject to whims, crankiness, or ill temper

a crotchety old man

a crotchety critic

2

: full of or arising from crotchets

a crotchety style

Crotchety twilight-of-life drama.

—Entertainment Weekly

crotchetiness

ˈkrä-chə-tē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of crotchety

• irritable

Examples of crotchety in a Sentence

None of the students dared to talk back to the crotchety old teacher.

I get crotchety after a long day at work.

Recent Examples on the Web

Here and across most of the album, Antonoff comes off like a crotchety war vet boxing at shadows. —Walden Green, Pitchfork, 30 May 2026

Arteta can strike a crotchety figure in post-match interviews, particularly when his team have dropped points. —James McNicholas, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025

The tale she’s lived to tell emerges, for all its crotchety complaints, from a place of unerring loyalty. —Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025

As the Platinum Chalice status holder, Adomian adopts an old man’s slow gait and crotchety American geriatric voice to yet another ovation. —John Roy, Vulture, 8 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

see crotchet

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

crotchety

adjective

crotch·​ety ˈkräch-ət-ē 

: subject to whims, crankiness, or ill temper

crotchetiness

-ē-nəs 

noun