cross-grained

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cross-grained
Adjective
  • Gertrude watched her brother alienate his friends, sapped of mental energy, and increasingly cantankerous.
    Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Getty portrayed the cantankerous but charming matriarch Sophia Petrillo, the mother of Arthur's character, and McClanahan played the flirtatious Southern belle Blanche.
    Ashley Hume , Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Over the weekend, reports emerged that the higher tariffs followed a disagreeable Thursday phone call between Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter and Trump — which Swiss officials rejected, according to Reuters.
    Sophie Kiderlin,Jenni Reid, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2025
  • Trump and his supporters prefer a happy history, a pleasant history that arouses patriotism by overlooking disagreeable people and despicable events that sully the nation’s reputation and mar the magnificence of the American story.
    William C. Hine, Twin Cities, 23 July 2025
Adjective
  • Trying to Kill Each Other' And Walken is marvelous — querulous, petty, cruel — as the Emperor.
    Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
  • Instead, Gerwig and Baumbach promote querulous sloganeering.
    Armond White, National Review, 19 July 2023
Adjective
  • That continues when the matriarch finally passes away 20 years later, leaving equally bilious offspring Laras (Dinda Kanyadewi) in charge.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Even though his bloodwork looked normal six months previously, sudden onset or acute renal failure can happen in an old dog for no apparent reason other than age and result in bilious vomiting.
    Dr. John De Jong, Boston Herald, 8 June 2025
Adjective
  • But Kael sensed in her less dyspeptic moments that there was something special about Redford.
    Stephen Galloway, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • At 0-2, the Chiefs may be a little more ornery than usual.
    Andrew Greif, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
  • The goal is to capitalize on the holidays when kids will be out of school and eager to see some ornery avians.
    Brent Lang, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Plaza joined the roster as police officer MG Falcone, Honey’s surly love interest.
    Luna Adler, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Linda hustles the two of them to a nearby motel whose only employees are a surly young goth attendant (a glowering Ivy Wolk) and a sympathetic, mildly flirty super (A$AP Rocky, laidback and breezy).
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Shot in Calgary, the show is from Kurt Sutter but the irascible writer-producer stepped away from the drama in October of 2024.
    Lynette Rice, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025
  • If the lead-up to Benfica’s visit, and even the game itself, had the feel of a reunion at times, there were still flashes of the irascible Mourinho of old.
    Stuart James, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cross-grained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cross-grained. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!