grouchy

play

adjective \ ˈgrau̇-chē \

Definition of grouchy

grouchier; grouchiest

:given to grumbling :peevish

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grouchily

play \ˈgrau̇-chə-lē\ adverb

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grouchiness

play \ˈgrau̇-chē-nəs\ noun

See grouchy defined for English-language learners

Examples of grouchy in a Sentence

I get grouchy when I'm tired.
a lack of sleep would make anyone grouchy

Recent Examples of grouchy from the Web

The naps and the pudding cups, though, were turning me into a grouchy gaseous bridge troll who didn’t want to do anything, ever, including write her column or work on her book or leave the house to see a friend.

— heather havrilesky, The Cut, "Go Buy a Treadmill Desk Right Now," 23 June 2017
Although 9-year-old Kate looked thrilled to be dolled up for the day, waving at the camera and happily posing for pictures, Pippa, then age 7, fussed with her flower headpiece and seemed a little more grouchy.

— katherine richter, PEOPLE.com, "Pippa Middleton’s Uncle Says She and James Matthews ‘Gave Everyone Time and Attention’ at Wedding," 21 May 2017
Oscar the grouchy opossum? Breckinridge Sq., 500 block, Leesburg, April 29.

— Washington Post, "Loudoun County Animal Watch," 10 May 2017
Lear’s most famous character, the grouchy, epithet-loving blowhard Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O’Connor, and the public’s reaction to Archie, seems to have new resonance in the Trump era.

— sarah larson, The New Yorker, "Norman Lear, Podcaster," 25 Apr. 2017
In Finn’s recollection, Ranieri could be insensitive, sarcastic, and generally oblivious about grating on Finn’s nerves; on the other hand, Finn was unaccountably grouchy and quick-tempered.

— darryn king, VanityFair.com, "Beauty and the Beast’s Lumiére and Cogsworth Have a Fascinating Real-Life Backstory," 2 Mar. 2017
There’s a grouchy principal (Dean Norris), a horny guidance counselor (Jillian Bell), a dweeby security guard (Kumail Nanjiani), a nutty football coach (Tracy Morgan) and a femme fatale French instructor (Christina Hendricks).

— a. o. scott, New York Times, "Review: Ice Cube and Charlie Day Face Off in ‘Fist Fight’," 16 Feb. 2017
GROUCHY COACH (PART 2) Sutter insisted the Kings’ 4-3 overtime victory over Wild was not actually an OT win.

— Orange County Register, "Sutter says Jeff Carter, Peter Budaj worthy of All-Star Game," 7 Jan. 2017
But Murray, a sometimes grouchy, self-critical player who had become a father in February, pushed himself to the verge of the top spot during a spectacular second half.

— douglas robson, New York Times, "Men’s Tennis Wants to Crack Down on Tanking. But What, Exactly, Is Tanking? NOV. 19, 2016," 20 Nov. 2016

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