as in sullen
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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
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
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
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
Adjective
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
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
Adjective
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Sad, sullen younger half-brother Zach (Joe Anders), unrecovered from a social media misstep, is acting more strangely than teenage boys usually do.
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Now, in a more intimate setting, the sullen and sometimes-sarcastic shadings of this longtime singer-songwriter should hark back to Folds’ fledgling days on the alt-music scene.
Verb
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In the meantime, residents of the Los Angeles neighborhood have complained of respiratory symptoms, and local businesses have tried to push on while feeling the economic impact spurred by the haze that has become a daily — and anxiety-inducing — occurrence.
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But passengers complained of a lack of information, hotel rooms were not available everywhere, and some travelers' journeys stretched through the night.
Verb
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Joshua Serad, of Maple Shade, stole and damaged Pride flags Monday in the business district of Haddonfield on Kings Highway, according to police.
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Flying bricks damaged the crossing’s signal arms, and the crossing was closed by Union Pacific.
Adjective
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There are also a lot of people who have never dreamed of being disagreeable in public, much less considered joining a raucous social movement.
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The disagreeable object proved no match for the most fertile person in Montana.
Verb
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Elena called for Harold, who ran out in his boxers — both men screamed at each other and threatened to call the cops.
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As the clock ran out, years of pain were screamed out in Frost Bank Center as the Spurs’ home court sounded like it was parked in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
Verb
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Starmer is leaving after two years in office marred by missteps and judgment errors that eroded his standing with his party and the public.
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What immediately followed that bright June day were dark months marred by the state’s largest criminal investigation in history coming up empty, police questioning second graders for new leads and mounting legal battles among the Horman family grappling with utter devastation.
Adjective
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The question for Britain is whether his easygoing charm and gift for communication will be enough to successfully lead a grumpy, stagnant country that has already had six prime ministers since the Brexit referendum in 2016.
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So that journey from being an embittered, grumpy, individual turns into something incredibly progressive, beautiful and quite life-affirming.
Verb
-
Traffic hummed and whined on I-85.
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Second, in a report of their own, the pro-business commissioners whined that all of this was unfair.
Cite this Entry
“Crabbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crabbed. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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