crabby

adjective

ˈkra-bē How to pronounce crabby (audio)
Definition of crabbynext
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

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 Lucy Van Pelt Lucy is the crabby kid who always has something up her sleeve. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026 Leah stayed crabby through dinner. — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025 Attend the Fiddler Crab Festival Every February over Presidents’ Day weekend, the three-day Fiddler Crab Festival brings crabby fun and community pride to Steinhatchee. — Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 5 July 2025 Her dissatisfaction with her crabby old husband drives her into the same state of amorous turmoil that Vanya and Sonya find themselves in. — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for crabby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crabby
  1. irritable
  2. restless
  3. grouchy
  4. grumpy
  5. displeased
  6. cranky
  7. querulous
  8. nervous
Adjective
  • Whether a balanced market can be achieved with competing cartels will be an interesting experiment in a sometimes-irritable trade relationship.
    — Tim Treadgold, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Just as Depp made to exit the stage, a haunting voice came over the speaker, eerily repeating the irritable man’s name.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 23 July 2026
Definition of irritable
Adjective
  • For instance, while journeying through the depths of Pisces, Luna will clash with Uranus in Gemini this afternoon, triggering a restless undercurrent that can make routines, restrictions and other people’s expectations all the more irritating.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026
  • The natives are restless, but as far as I (or anyone else, for that matter) can tell, leadership doesn't seem to be in a big rush to show Dabo the door.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of restless
Adjective
  • Everything about it was meant to be a corrective against that straight white, grouchy private detective.
    — Caroline Reilly, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • That Utah rideshare driver, however, was justifiable more grouchy.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Definition of grouchy
Adjective
  • Jeremy Swift returns as Higgins, and Brett Goldstein reprises his role of the grumpy former footballer, Roy Kent.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 3 Aug. 2026
  • There were fires to put out; an unbalanced squad, unsettled players, grumpy fans, some truly dispiriting defeats.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of grumpy
Adjective
  • The Firm is, unsurprisingly, displeased at the idea of more dirty laundry coming to light.
    — Emma Banks, InStyle, 7 July 2026
  • The shot sailed over the bar before England keeper Jordan Pickford shouted at his defenders, clearly displeased with the lack of resistance in their own half.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 27 June 2026
Definition of displeased
Adjective
  • One TikToker refused to give up her parking spot and instead savored her food-court hot dog to get back at a cranky driver who honked at her.
    — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 30 July 2026
  • That adjustment aside, there’s nothing conceptually very original to this tale of a prodigal son returning to find his cranky old ma requiring rescue from both organized crime and a police raid.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 July 2026
Definition of cranky
Adjective
  • The American right, too, is in a shifting, querulous state.
    — Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026
  • In fact, the B-2 bombers were still in the air with hours to go before reaching home when Van Hollen issued his querulous statement.
    — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
Definition of querulous
Adjective
  • If your new pet seems shy, nervous or withdrawn, don't panic.
    — Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 29 July 2026
  • In the moments leading up to the big question, Morando was admittedly nervous.
    — Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
Definition of nervous

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Cite this Entry

“Crabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crabby. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of crabby for Spanish Speakers

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