1
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
a crabby old dog who snapped at passersby
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of crabby
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
What Kate will not thank him for is being a big crabby baby about her relationship with Dennison.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
There were fish living in the ice and thousands of mating pairs of these giant crustaceans dropping out of crevices on top of us, like giant crabby spiders.
—Jill Heinerth, People.com, 23 Oct. 2024
Come the crash of 2008, David’s leisure-world empire collapses, and Abraham’s patriarchal mien and tolerance turn to crabby solitude with the prospect of unloading their dream for pennies on the dollar.
—Gordon Cox, Variety, 2 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for crabby
Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 26 Nov. 2024
What Kate will not thank him for is being a big crabby baby about her relationship with Dennison.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
There were fish living in the ice and thousands of mating pairs of these giant crustaceans dropping out of crevices on top of us, like giant crabby spiders.
—Jill Heinerth, People.com, 23 Oct. 2024
Come the crash of 2008, David’s leisure-world empire collapses, and Abraham’s patriarchal mien and tolerance turn to crabby solitude with the prospect of unloading their dream for pennies on the dollar.
—Gordon Cox, Variety, 2 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for crabby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crabby
Adjective
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But a new wrench is thrown into the works in the form of an irritable downstairs neighbor.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
27 June 2025
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And getting swept at home by a losing club, the Miami Marlins, would make anyone a tad irritable and hypersensitive.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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Joya was restless, not just her eyes but all of her.—
Jhumpa Lahiri,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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But there’s also a fine line between being restless and being reckless, especially as their own record and the ups and downs of others clarify the landscape.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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Frye's comic foil was a grouchy widower played by George Gaynes, a character actor with credits going back 20 years who had just scored memorable roles in Tootsie and the Police Academy series.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
14 May 2025
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The only people who can help Sara and Devin are Isaac (Taylor Kitsch), a grouchy mountain man, and Two Moons (Shawnee Pourier), a mute Shoshone girl fleeing her own violent past.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Irene’s fiercely protective husband, Hank (Geoffrey Wade), an arch religious conservative, is too grumpy.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
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That grumpy team member might be dealing with a flooded basement or a teenager who just got their driver’s license (arguably worse than the flood).—
ByJulie Kantor,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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The 1972 novel follows the life of mercurial 6-year-old Sophia and her cranky and unsentimental, but loving, grandmother.—
Patrick Sauer,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 June 2025
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There isn’t one interesting new character, despite the effort from Hammer, Kerry Washington, Nathan Fillion, and Chris Cooper as Lightning’s cranky new trainer.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Trying to Kill Each Other' And Walken is marvelous — querulous, petty, cruel — as the Emperor.—
Tom Gliatto,
Peoplemag,
29 Feb. 2024
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Instead, Gerwig and Baumbach promote querulous sloganeering.—
Armond White,
National Review,
19 July 2023
Adjective
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Watching his son evolve from a 4-star recruit out of Columbus High School in Miami to an eventual first-round pick out of Michigan State, Richardson doesn’t get too nervous or overly excited when Jase is on the court.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 June 2025
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But with Wirtz, there was suddenly an effort not to do that; the media got nervous about calling it a record.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crabby. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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