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
  • Bill Murray plays Phil Connors, an irritable, cynical weatherman sent to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to report a story about the town’s quaint groundhog ceremony.
    — David Faris, TheWeek, 10 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of irritable
Adjective
  • Jackass is for the 12-year-old boy within us all, one that’s a little bit rowdy and a little bit restless and a little bit destructive, but still sort of innocent about it all.
    — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
  • His work thrives on the incoherence of his own restless curiosity.
    — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 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
  • The cast is led by Tolman, with Grier playing the grumpy emergency physician Ron.
    — Selome Hailu, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Jeremy Swift returns as Higgins, and Brett Goldstein reprises his role of the grumpy former footballer, Roy Kent.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 3 Aug. 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
  • Because people are nervous that Tesla’s robotaxi is going to completely take over the autonomous-vehicle market and mobility overall.
    — Fortune Editors, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026
  • For anyone nervous about bringing up price, Bascombe says preparation is the best confidence booster.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 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 13 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of crabby for Spanish Speakers

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