1
as in complained
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
their two-year-old whined and crabbed for the whole car trip
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in damaged
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
crabbed the blossoming romance by becoming moody and demanding
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sullen
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crabbed
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Tár, though, displays little more than crabbed irritability and self-serving cynicism.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2022
This is a truly crabbed and reductive view of the man and his work.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2021
Guston’s searingly funny caricatures of Richard M. Nixon and his corrupt White House cronies, drawn mostly in short, crabbed lines, have been exhibited only twice before — once in Manhattan (2016) and once in London (2017).
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2019
No one can accuse this Court of having a crabbed view of the reach of its competence.
—WSJ, 27 June 2019
The core error here is the Texas Supreme Court’s crabbed understanding of Obergefell.
—Dale Carpenter, Washington Post, 2 July 2017
Verb
This is a crabbed and mendacious interpretation of the law.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Tár, though, displays little more than crabbed irritability and self-serving cynicism.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2022
This is a truly crabbed and reductive view of the man and his work.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2021
Guston’s searingly funny caricatures of Richard M. Nixon and his corrupt White House cronies, drawn mostly in short, crabbed lines, have been exhibited only twice before — once in Manhattan (2016) and once in London (2017).
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2019
No one can accuse this Court of having a crabbed view of the reach of its competence.
—WSJ, 27 June 2019
The core error here is the Texas Supreme Court’s crabbed understanding of Obergefell.
—Dale Carpenter, Washington Post, 2 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crabbed
Verb
-
Sepulveda complained about the judge’s biased views with Mexican American Bar Association members.—
Richard J. Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Jan. 2025
-
Kirby Smart complained about the call afterward but seemed to misinterpret what being set over the ball meant.—
Pete Sampson,
The Athletic,
4 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The Osbournes, set in the family’s L.A. home in the early aughts, deflated the patriarch’s imposing public perception, revealing a noisy life beset by his sullen teens, wife and wrangler, and everyone’s zany dogs.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
25 July 2025
-
The model, a sullen blonde with messy pageboy hair, looked vaguely sick in it.—
Mona Awad,
New Yorker,
20 July 2025
Verb
-
The decision was not marred by procedural unfairness.—
Simon Perry,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Lennon's notoriously troubled upbringing was marred by paternal abandonment, frequent moves, and the sudden death of those closest to him, including his estranged mother Julia.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Over the weekend, reports emerged that the higher tariffs followed a disagreeable Thursday phone call between Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter and Trump — which Swiss officials rejected, according to Reuters.—
Sophie Kiderlin,Jenni Reid,
CNBC,
4 Aug. 2025
-
Trump and his supporters prefer a happy history, a pleasant history that arouses patriotism by overlooking disagreeable people and despicable events that sully the nation’s reputation and mar the magnificence of the American story.—
William C. Hine,
Twin Cities,
23 July 2025
Verb
-
The passengers went to a hospital, but nobody was seriously injured.—
Patrick McGeehan,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
-
He’s currently injured, but when in the lineup, the 6-foot-4, 203-pound forward is the type of player the Blues love — straight lines, finishes checks, sells out every shift and a nose for the net.—
Jeremy Rutherford,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
At Castle Leathers, Murtagh is grumpy and sulking because Ellen has been promised to another… which Brian definitely did not know.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Golden smiled for the picture but made a grumpy face in a second photo, sitting alongside her older sister, Sterling.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
His vengeance included turning Michigan State in for NCAA violations, leading to probation that crippled the program until the late 1970s.—
Joe Rexrode,
The Athletic,
31 Dec. 2024
-
As the city litigated and revised the environmental impact report, two devastating storms in December 2023 and February 2024 — the same series that crippled San Diego’s Ocean Beach Pier — substantially damaged the wharf.—
Noah Haggerty,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Anna’s surly 15-year-old daughter Harper (Julia Butters) is vehemently opposed to the possibility of being uprooted and moved to London.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Aug. 2025
-
This is because, little under a year after being handed a landslide majority by the U.K. electorate, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government is deeply unpopular and thrashing around for ways to appease a surly and resentful public.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crabbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crabbed. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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