Synonyms of cranks

cranks 1 of 2

noun

plural of crank

1

as in eccentrics

a person of odd or whimsical habits

she's a bit of a crank, but still a good-hearted person

Synonyms & Similar Words

• eccentrics
• nuts
• originals
• crackpots
• kooks
• characters
• screwballs
• flakes
• oddballs
• mavericks
• weirdos
• nutters
• codgers
• zanies
• bohemians
• fruitcakes
• freaks
• rarities
• nutcases
• pieces of work
• cracks
• oddities
• head cases
• odd ducks
• quizzes
• crackbrains
• nonconformists
• geezers
• coots
• quixotes
• curios
• fantasts
• fantasticoes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sheep
• followers
• conformists
• conformers

2

as in crabs

an irritable and complaining person

he's always a crank until he has his morning coffee

Synonyms & Similar Words

• crabs
• complainers
• bears
• mutterers
• hunks
• grousers
• curmudgeons
• grumps
• grouches
• murmurers
• sourpusses
• gripers
• grumblers
• croakers
• growlers
• whiners
• kickers
• fussers
• bellyachers
• soreheads
• crosspatches
• defeatists
• killjoys
• spoilsports
• malcontents
• quibblers
• party poopers
• nitpickers
• crocks
• pessimists
• naggers
• hypochondriacs
• faultfinders
• grinches
• objectors
• repiners

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• optimists
• Pollyannas
• happy campers

3

as in whims

a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action

his endless and unpredictable cranks made spending time with him exhausting

Synonyms & Similar Words

• whims
• notions
• bees
• caprices
• maggots
• whimsies
• vagaries
• megrims
• thoughts
• pictures
• freaks
• fancies
• kinks
• fantasies
• vagrancies
• humors
• impressions
• bees in one's bonnet
• whimsicalities
• images
• concepts
• impetuosities
• conceits
• conceptions
• inspirations
• brainstorms
• mind's eyes

cranks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of crank

as in coils

Related Words

• coils
• winds
• reels
• screws
• twiddles
• circulates
• pivots
• wheels
• spins
• swivels
• rotates
• unscrews
• swirls
• revolves
• twirls
• turns
• whirls
• swings
• twists
• rolls

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cranks

Noun

In 2022, a group calling itself the America First SOS Coalition endorsed a slate of cranks and quacks who ran for secretary of state in 14 states, including the presidential battlegrounds of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Trump cranks heat on Warsh Friday’s comments show Trump resuming his pressure campaign against the Fed, which had eased since the appointment of Warsh, his handpicked successor to Jerome Powell. — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026

Indeed, cranks and conspiracists on the American and British hard right now exist in happy symbiosis. — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 26 July 2026

The newer Schnierle hardware with which Wellhouse is working in the iCamper cranks this adjustability up considerably. — New Atlas, 24 July 2026

Casement windows swing out using cranks to open rather than sliding up or to the side on a track like standard windows. — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 17 June 2026

In 2018, the state legislature passed a law that outlawed the possession and sale of bump stocks, along with trigger cranks and devices that make the gun operate like an automatic weapon. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 23 Apr. 2026

In any case, the TM-B defining feature is the software that sits between the cranks and the motor, shaping the whole cycling experience. — ArsTechnica, 16 Apr. 2026

The Republican Party embraced neoconservatism; Buchanan and his cohort were the stewards of an ideology for cranks. — Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026