Synonyms of crankiness

crankiness 1 of 2

noun

as in irritability

readiness to show annoyance or impatience

overtired children are often prone to crankiness

Synonyms & Similar Words

• irritability
• irritableness
• aggression
• grumpiness
• grouchiness
• sensitivity
• anger
• peevishness
• crossness
• aggressiveness
• testiness
• hostility
• petulance
• irascibility
• indignation
• perversity
• biliousness
• exasperation
• perverseness
• wrath
• choler
• huffiness
• rage
• pettishness
• rudeness
• crotchetiness
• waspishness
• fury
• fretfulness
• sulkiness
• surliness
• orneriness
• combativeness
• disagreeableness
• cantankerousness
• fight
• irascibleness
• belligerence
• contentiousness
• crustiness
• dyspepsia
• pugnacity
• contrariness
• bellicosity
• fussiness
• truculence
• feistiness
• pugnaciousness
• querulousness
• belligerency
• animosity
• touchiness
• antagonism
• scrappiness
• curmudgeonliness
• quarrelsomeness
• jaundice
• supersensitivity
• unfriendliness
• rancor
• passion
• antipathy
• disputatiousness
• truculency
• fierceness
• spleen
• oversensitiveness
• hot-bloodedness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tolerance
• understanding
• patience
• forbearance
• long-suffering
• sociability
• friendliness
• geniality
• affability
• cordiality
• agreeableness
• amicability
• amiability
• coolness
• amiableness
• amenity
• serenity
• tranquility
• gentleness
• good-naturedness
• mildness
• kindliness
• good-humoredness
• good-temperedness
• easygoingness

cranky

2 of 2

adjective

ˈkraŋ-kē 

1

as in clumsy

difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design

that old typewriter is handy sometimes, but rather cranky these days

Synonyms & Similar Words

• clumsy
• awkward
• cumbersome
• unwieldy
• clunky
• ponderous
• ungainly
• heavy
• unhandy
• cumbrous
• uncontrollable
• bunglesome
• impractical
• unmanageable
• massive
• bulky
• dinosauric
• elephantine
• impracticable
• hulking
• dinosaurian

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• useful
• practical
• functional
• handy
• practicable
• serviceable

2

as in irritable

easily irritated or annoyed

the baby was cranky after not being fed for hours

Synonyms & Similar Words

• irritable
• fiery
• grumpy
• grouchy
• irascible
• crabby
• snappish
• peevish
• crotchety
• petulant
• testy
• snarky
• waspish
• cross
• snippy
• choleric
• pettish
• short-tempered
• raspy
• passionate
• stuffy
• out of humor
• out of sorts
• sensitive
• ornery
• cantankerous
• ratty
• quick-tempered
• prickly
• curmudgeonly
• perverse
• querulous
• surly
• dyspeptic
• snarly
• short
• disagreeable
• snippety
• fretful
• bilious
• snappy
• belligerent
• contentious
• pugnacious
• combative
• argumentative
• sulky
• tetchy
• bellicose
• ill-tempered
• quarrelsome
• fractious
• sullen
• truculent
• ill-humored
• pouty
• huffy
• ill-natured
• bearish
• scrappy
• disputatious
• touchy
• cross-grained
• off-color
• thin-skinned
• hot-blooded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• friendly
• affable
• gregarious
• outgoing
• cordial
• genial
• sweet
• sociable
• amiable
• extroverted
• companionable
• good-natured
• agreeable
• easygoing
• carefree
• relaxed
• patient
• good-tempered
• tolerant
• stoic
• well-disposed
• long-suffering
• uncomplaining
• forbearing
• understanding
• obliging
• happy-go-lucky

3

as in restless

given to complaining a lot

if cranky children don't appreciate what they already have, then they shouldn't get a thing more

Synonyms & Similar Words

• restless
• grumpy
• irritable
• grouchy
• crabby
• querulous
• nervous
• displeased
• dissatisfied
• fussy
• uneasy
• fidgety
• disgruntled
• twitchy
• squirmy
• wiggly
• discontented
• restive
• fretful
• antsy
• ornery
• cantankerous
• irascible
• peevish
• snappish
• petulant
• crotchety
• wriggly
• testy
• worrisome
• cross
• waspish
• snippy
• choleric
• pettish
• short-tempered
• perverse
• quick-tempered
• snappy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• patient
• tolerant
• stoic
• long-suffering
• uncomplaining
• forbearing
• amiable
• good-natured
• gracious
• agreeable
• affable
• good-humored
• genial
• complaisant
• good-tempered
• accommodating
• obliging
• well-disposed
• easygoing
• relaxed
• laid-back

4

as in funny

different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion

that's just another of his cranky theories about the CIA

Synonyms & Similar Words

• funny
• bizarre
• strange
• weird
• odd
• erratic
• curious
• peculiar
• eccentric
• crazy
• remarkable
• unusual
• abnormal
• screwy
• quirky
• wacky
• kooky
• funky
• wild
• queer
• kinky
• off-the-wall
• unique
• quaint
• offbeat
• outlandish
• out-of-the-way
• weirdo
• unconventional
• uncommon
• outré
• rum
• rare
• off-kilter
• outrageous
• queerish
• flaky
• way-out
• far-out
• spaced-out
• bizarro
• extraordinary
• freak
• outstanding
• fantastic
• freaky
• noticeable
• freakish
• prominent
• aberrant
• crotchety
• shocking
• atypical
• conspicuous
• striking
• phenomenal
• notable
• salient
• idiosyncratic
• phantasmagoric
• singular
• out-there
• unwonted
• perplexing
• puzzling
• addlepated
• baffling
• nonconformist
• atrocious
• confounding
• unorthodox
• bewildering
• uncustomary
• mystifying
• nonmainstream

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• normal
• usual
• typical
• ordinary
• average
• routine
• standard
• prosaic
• everyday
• conservative
• commonplace
• garden
• conventional
• familiar
• unremarkable
• predictable
• run-of-the-mill
• unexceptional
• workaday
• conformist
• frequent
• regular
• common
• expected
• habitual
• customary
• knee-jerk
• wonted

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of crankiness

Noun

Poor sleep leads to more than just crankiness A cranky kid after a bad night’s sleep is bad enough. — Avery Newmark, AJC.com, 10 Mar. 2026

And remember, most Californians are running on an hour less sleep today, so drive a little slower and blame your crankiness on the time change. — Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026

Adjective

When a baby is cranky or fighting sleep, a swing can gently calm them down or lull them to sleep. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026

In Ketticè’s time frame, all the kids are still blithely using Facebook to message each other, update their status and bully one another, the platform having not yet become the domain of the old, cranky and terminally uncool. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026