1
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
a crabby old dog who snapped at passersby
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in restless
given to complaining a lot
a bunch of crabby kids who don't want to do any work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crabby
Read the full Aries Daily Horoscope Taurus (April 20 - May 20)
In a crabby mood?
—
USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2025
Take the Lishman’s Deli sketch, in which Murphy’s Gumby character — the green clay stop-motion figure reimagined as a crabby Borscht Belt has-been — trades insults with a gang of alter kockers played by Crystal, Guest and Short, who reminisce and argue about sandwiches named for celebrities.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
This time, however, she is joined by a crew consisting of an enthusiastic young engineer, a crabby senior farmer and a history-preserving storyteller.
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 26 Nov. 2024
Like the earlier diss tracks — along with the crabbier bits of Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers — this one rejects the mantle of righteous warrior.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for crabby
USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2025
Take the Lishman’s Deli sketch, in which Murphy’s Gumby character — the green clay stop-motion figure reimagined as a crabby Borscht Belt has-been — trades insults with a gang of alter kockers played by Crystal, Guest and Short, who reminisce and argue about sandwiches named for celebrities.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
This time, however, she is joined by a crew consisting of an enthusiastic young engineer, a crabby senior farmer and a history-preserving storyteller.
—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 26 Nov. 2024
Like the earlier diss tracks — along with the crabbier bits of Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers — this one rejects the mantle of righteous warrior.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for crabby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crabby
Adjective
-
On the contrary, Juventus’ football soothed even the most irritable sections of the crowd.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
This can include feeling irritable, having a low frustration tolerance, feeling easily overstimulated, and having rapid shifts in emotion.—
Korin Miller,
SELF,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Unlike restless Nora, Agnes is married with a son, able to view her deeply flawed dad from the vantage point of both a daughter and mother.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Many knitters describe the activity as a way to channel anxious or restless energy into something tangible.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
3 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Flockhart is equally supportive of Ford, having expressed her joy at watching her husband’s performance as the grouchy, oft-deadpan therapist.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Today, a Luddite is your grandparent who keeps looking at the screen rather than the camera when on Zoom, the Boomer who types in all-capital letters, the grouchy man who refuses to get a smart phone, the professor spewing invective against Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
And who doesn’t relish the gothic details of an ancient manor and grumpy yet uniquely attractive duke that owns it?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Then there was the grumpy forty-something.—
John Winsor,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
At the end, Briar bumps into her and Ru looks displeased.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
17 Jan. 2026
-
Alabama held Arkansas to a season-low 48 points Sunday, and the result left Musick displeased.—
Ethan Westerman,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
That filmed play also starred Sutorius as a cranky, aging man struggling to communicate with a young female secretary about Lucy’s age.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Jan. 2026
-
You, me, a cranky little guy with white boots, a guy whose company was rife with Medicaid fraud.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This canonical part has been played by some of the foremost women of the British stage, among them Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Edith Evans, who, in Anthony Asquith’s 1952 film adaptation, put a delightfully querulous spin on Lady Bracknell’s most indelible lines.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
17 Nov. 2025
-
Trying to Kill Each Other' And Walken is marvelous — querulous, petty, cruel — as the Emperor.—
Tom Gliatto,
Peoplemag,
29 Feb. 2024
Adjective
-
While the money is flowing, state officials are still nervous.—
Miquéla V Thornton,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The atmosphere at the Emirates was nervous, too, and their next two opponents — Leeds (away) and Sunderland (home) — will give no quarter.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crabby. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
