as in irritable
having or showing a habitually bad temper
a cantankerous old woman who insisted that nothing should ever be allowed to change
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Recent Examples of cantankerous
Ten-year-old Louisa is walking on a beach on the Japanese coast at night with her father, a cantankerous college instructor named Serk.
—
Sam Worley, Vulture, 2 June 2025
In time, Ian started laughing at other things too: stories Eve made up about a cantankerous Russian named Boris, the word debris, pots clanging, keys jangling.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 16 May 2025
Oldman’s performance in the show has been widely praised and he’s earned both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for playing the cantankerous head of Slough House, Jackson Lamb.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
The trust's extensive provisions are just an example of Barnes' quirky and often cantankerous nature.
—Blake Gopnik, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cantankerous
Sam Worley, Vulture, 2 June 2025
In time, Ian started laughing at other things too: stories Eve made up about a cantankerous Russian named Boris, the word debris, pots clanging, keys jangling.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 16 May 2025
Oldman’s performance in the show has been widely praised and he’s earned both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for playing the cantankerous head of Slough House, Jackson Lamb.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
The trust's extensive provisions are just an example of Barnes' quirky and often cantankerous nature.
—Blake Gopnik, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cantankerous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cantankerous
Adjective
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Determined to make a clean SPF, Brown says a chemical formula was out of the question (chemical sunscreens are often thought to be unsafe for the coral reef and irritable to sensitive skin types).—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
9 July 2025
-
In my own experience, poor sleep has frequently been the reason behind feeling tired and irritable.—
Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt,
CNN Money,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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Most of the time, Superman is depressed or angry or getting beat to a pulp or having cans thrown at him or getting arrested.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
-
Others were frustrated—some even outright angry—that the Commission fell short of declaring all forms of obesity a disease and instead recommended a more nuanced clinical diagnosis.—
Francesco Rubino,
Time,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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That is, until an ornery cow named Daisy kicks over a lantern and ignites a fire that quickly engulfs the Windy City.—
EW Staff Published,
EW.com,
3 July 2025
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The outcome is a fire ant that has the strength and ornery disposition of the fiercer red fire ant with the better tolerance of colder temperatures found in black fire ants.—
Gareth McGrath,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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This is exactly the productive, surly, still-in-his-prime player this team needs down the middle.—
Scott Powers,
New York Times,
14 June 2025
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Rostov is exiled to the servants’ quarters in the attic, stripped of most of his possessions, and is kept under constant surveillance by a surly KGB operative (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson).—
Rob Salkowitz,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Marina’s imperious grandmother (Marina Troncoso) is a disagreeable snob, more concerned with getting a mani-pedi or keeping leaves out of her precious swimming pool than getting to know her granddaughter.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
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Befriending Cressida Cowper is a respectable exercise in recognizing biases, but the pair’s interactions are as disagreeable as those bangs.—
Zoe Haylock,
Vulture,
16 May 2024
Adjective
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And while there is enough splenetic wit and manic detail to generate obsessive fandom (entire sections of Web sites are dedicated to deciphering just what Kenny is mumbling), subjects like alien abduction, genetic engineering, and Kathie Lee are hardly original targets for satire.—
Chris Norris,
SPIN,
13 Aug. 2022
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Meanwhile, the commentator and controversialist Piers Morgan, an obsessively close observer and relentless critic of Meghan, inevitably waded in with his usual splenetic views.—
Sarah Lyall,
New York Times,
17 Sep. 2022
Adjective
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Even though his bloodwork looked normal six months previously, sudden onset or acute renal failure can happen in an old dog for no apparent reason other than age and result in bilious vomiting.—
Dr. John De Jong,
Boston Herald,
8 June 2025
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Under Nézet-Séguin, the musicians do the job spectacularly, releasing all those bilious harmonies and seething rhythms in an unbroken two-hour spasm of excitement.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cantankerous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cantankerous. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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