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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
the baby was cranky after not being fed for hours
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in psychotic
dialect
having or showing a very abnormal or sick state of mind
the man would inflict on innocent bystanders his cranky ruminations on world events
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cranky
Thomas had a long and prolific career, right up to his final years, despite his health woes and a famously cranky personality that could curdle soup across the room.
—
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
Blowouts, the baby being cranky, an ear infection, all these things happen so often.
—Kiara Byrd, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025
Both are highly cushioned, so your feet won’t feel cranky or fatigued by the end of the day.
—Sara Coughlin, SELF, 16 Apr. 2025
Fifteen years after her husband’s drowning in the nearby bay, Tressilian’s days are spent in a cranky routine: grumbling over the obscene resort stationed on the opposite bluff, reading London’s gossip columns, and summoning the household help with the insistent ringing of a bedroom call bell.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cranky
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
Blowouts, the baby being cranky, an ear infection, all these things happen so often.
—Kiara Byrd, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025
Both are highly cushioned, so your feet won’t feel cranky or fatigued by the end of the day.
—Sara Coughlin, SELF, 16 Apr. 2025
Fifteen years after her husband’s drowning in the nearby bay, Tressilian’s days are spent in a cranky routine: grumbling over the obscene resort stationed on the opposite bluff, reading London’s gossip columns, and summoning the household help with the insistent ringing of a bedroom call bell.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cranky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cranky
Adjective
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The clumsy use of voice-overs is more embarrassing still.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
6 June 2025
-
In the latest, a clumsy but charming young woman in Paris, struggling to become a writer and longing for Jane Austen-style romance, finally has her moment at a Jane Austen Writers’ Residency in England.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
25 May 2025
Adjective
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Cass fulfills his obligations in a particularly irritable way.—
Jesse Hassenger,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2025
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One person’s fatigue is another’s back pain, is another’s migraine or irritable bowel, or long Covid, and so on.—
Jessica DuLong,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Nothing rings more true than the trope of the restless adolescent.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
7 June 2025
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Across 17 restless songs, packed into 30 minutes, Mel V growls and scream-raps her way through a vicious yet silly mind dump.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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Ramsey’s memoir is a moving, sometimes funny story about destruction, change and rebirth, told by a woman tempered by fire.—
Laurie Hertzel,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2025
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Roman is my kind of Virgil—chatty, funny, forgiving, sharp.—
Marina Harss,
New Yorker,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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The counselor also told police Trotman had had a previous psychotic break in which he was found wandering the woods.—
Peter Hermann,
Washington Post,
7 Feb. 2023
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Lewis prescribed Price anti-psychotic medication after a mental health referral Sept. 1.—
Thomas Saccente,
Arkansas Online,
17 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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From awkward silences to unresolved tensions, most of us would rather scroll, text, or disappear than risk a moment of raw, honest connection.—
Margie Warrell,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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The feelings of being sweaty, red-faced and kind of awkward is very familiar to me.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Sager’s sideline interviews, especially with the intentionally grumpy Gregg Popovich, helped make TNT’s NBA programming unique.—
Richard Deitsch,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
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But as soon as his hands are no longer supporting her, Bella flops back down on her side, making tiny, grumpy, growling noises, as though complaining about having to start the day.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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The bizarre blackouts are first explained with a bizarre hit-and-run that shook Larkin months earlier.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
8 June 2025
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But much of the discussion after the San Francisco Giants' 5-4 victory centered around a bizarre moment in the fourth inning.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cranky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cranky. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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