curmudgeon

noun

cur·mud·geon (ˌ)kər-ˈmə-jən

: a crusty, ill-tempered, and usually old man

archaic : miser

curmudgeonliness

(ˌ)kər-ˈmə-jən-lē-nəs

noun

curmudgeonly

(ˌ)kər-ˈmə-jən-lē

adjective

Example Sentences

At his quirky best, the elder Cooper is a curmudgeon right out of central casting, grumpy old man meets borscht-belt crank. He really does fiddle with his hearing aid and yell, "What? I can't hear you," only to chide you afterward that there's no need to shout.

Norah Vincent, New York Times Book Review, 19 Feb. 2006 We were in Edinburgh visiting the in-laws. I was, as usual, being a grumpy old curmudgeon. My people don't travel well.

David Mamet, Jafsie and John Henry Essays, 1999 Oh, he had the reputation for being a curmudgeon, and he didn't suffer fools gladly, and often he seemed to have no tolerance for people at all.

Robertson Davies, The Lyre of Orpheus, 1989 only a curmudgeon would object to the nursing home's holiday decorations

Recent Examples on the Web Perhaps that explained his reputation as a bit of a curmudgeon.

Mary Ann Ashcraft, Baltimore Sun, 9 Sep. 2022 Gleason is not the only actor who made an Ewok movie in the same year of another beloved performance, because at some point Cocoon star Wilford Brimley shows up as cranky curmudgeon with a heart of gold!

Dalton Ross, EW.com, 18 Aug. 2022 Was Sendak, a famous curmudgeon then middle aged, identifying with his older relatives?

Cate Mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, 14 July 2022 At the wake for Arconian residents, the curmudgeon is still Bunny's passionate defender and thinks Charles, Oliver, and Mabel probably did it.

Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 29 June 2022 The Upper West Side booths, which are of the Superman variety, survived in part owing to the agitations of a phone-loving Upper West Side curmudgeon, who persuaded political allies to grant the phones protected status.

Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 28 May 2022 Far from the eager rib-ticklers he was known for, Crystal — then 44, under layers of old-age makeup — played Buddy as a selfish curmudgeon who has alienated his family and refuses to accept that his career is over.

New York Times, 13 Apr. 2022 Truman’s flaws are often seen as the unfortunate imperfections of a lovable curmudgeon.

Wsj Books Staff, WSJ, 29 Mar. 2022 Johnson, beloved for playing New Girl‘s secretly kind curmudgeon Nick Miller, was pretty much made for his role.

Judy Berman, Time, 17 Mar. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'curmudgeon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.