Synonyms of cranky

cranky

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 cranky

Brolin is cranky, colorful and memorable as a survivor who didn’t get that way by accident. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026

There were interceptions, incompletions and a few tussles from cranky and competitive players on a hot and humid New England morning. — Zach Berman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

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