as in sullen
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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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
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
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
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
Adjective
-
When this long, difficult, rewarding and validating Minnesota Timberwolves season came to a crashing halt Wednesday in Oklahoma City, a sullen group of players and coaches filed into the locker room to come to grips with it all.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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Read Next: The Best Bass Flies As the bug lay silent on the water, a sullen chug echoed out of the darkness and Larry’s rod, silhouetted against the night sky, sprang into a dancing arc.—
Ted Janes,
Outdoor Life,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
On March 4, 2021, Williams complained to Rollins that everyone was still ignoring his advice.—
Joshua Kaplan,
ProPublica,
4 Jan. 2025
-
Sepulveda complained about the judge’s biased views with Mexican American Bar Association members.—
Richard J. Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
If Alex has a bit more credibility, not being as intractable in her positions, both have a tendency to come off as disagreeable in their incessant bickering and self-righteousness.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
The decision was not marred by procedural unfairness.—
Simon Perry,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Sager’s sideline interviews, especially with the intentionally grumpy Gregg Popovich, helped make TNT’s NBA programming unique.—
Richard Deitsch,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
-
History has largely ignored the sassy, grumpy royal advisor who paved the way for characters like Sebastian and Zazu, but hey, Friend Owl would never hold that against us.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
27 May 2025
Verb
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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
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Their father was also injured and was taken to a hospital for treatment, but he is expected to recover, police said.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Commerce City police helped return a surly rattlesnake to the wild this month after a resident found the venomous reptile coiled in their home’s driveway.—
Max Levy,
Denver Post,
31 May 2025
-
The third reason to slip the surly bonds of Earth is that our air is extremely good at shielding us from many wavelengths of light our eyes cannot see.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
29 May 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Crabbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crabbed. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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