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
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2
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
the baby was cranky after not being fed for hours
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cranky
Who knew that Big 12 Conference expansion would increase the number of cranky people covering the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments?
—
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
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
Parents who live in several specific parts of the country do not have to spend two weeks a year dealing with extra-cranky kids.
—Rosie Colosi, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
If Elvis was ever cranky, that’s been stripped out.
—Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cranky
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
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
Parents who live in several specific parts of the country do not have to spend two weeks a year dealing with extra-cranky kids.
—Rosie Colosi, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
If Elvis was ever cranky, that’s been stripped out.
—Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cranky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cranky
Adjective
-
Even young Oklahoma City required a clumsy postseason audition.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The driver and his accomplice then mounted a clumsy getaway that resulted in their scooter crashing about three blocks from the scene, cops said.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Perhaps through feeling more irritable, more anxious, or wanting to isolate.—
Joy Harden Bradford,
AJC.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Had my symptoms maybe been put down to irritable bowel, for example, that could’ve been ongoing and ongoing and ongoing for a much longer period of time.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Attempts to engage with restless residents who worried about where the whole effort was headed.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Inside, the Electric Mayhem band will be cranking out new tunes as the first-ever Audio-Animatronics figure of Scooter and some audio engineer penguins do their best to convince them to stop jamming to get to their increasingly restless fans across town.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Ike is also just so funny at playing desperate characters like Benny or Morgan Tookers on The Mindy Project.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
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That’s funny, because even though kids are on Chromebooks all day, most of them aren’t learning how to type!—
Austin Elias-de Jesus,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Big Bang Theory followed a group of socially awkward scientist friends navigating work, friendship and relationships, with Parsons portraying Sheldon Cooper, a brilliant but eccentric physicist known for his rigid routines, lack of social awareness and sharp intellect.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
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Which leaves marijuana in an awkward middle ground as a substance that’s too normalized to generate inherent conflict, and too mild to drive high-stakes drama.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The sneak peek also gave a glimpse into the world and psyche of Digger, who is grumpy toward everyone except his elderly pet cat.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
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What does a squat cartoon Italian plumber have to do with a very, very sleepy and grumpy attending in Pennsylvania?—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Bischoff found the whole situation bizarre.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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The results were colorful, bursting with shapes and patterns, but often totally bizarre.—
Gabe Montesanti,
PEOPLE,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Taking photos and developing them involved a big, bulky camera, a tripod, chemicals, a dark-room tent and cumbersome wet-plate apparatus.—
Marcia Greenwood,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
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Employees, frustrated by cumbersome corporate tools or lack of access, are quietly using personal ChatGPT, Claude, and other consumer AI models on the side, often without telling IT or compliance.—
Elena Alfaro,
Harvard Business Review,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cranky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cranky. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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