cross-grained

adjective

Definition of cross-grainednext
as in cantankerous

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cross-grained
  1. cantankerous
  2. disagreeable
  3. querulous
  4. bilious
  5. dyspeptic
  6. ornery
  7. surly
  8. irascible
Adjective
  • Principle photography is underway in London, with Jurassic Park star Jeff Goldblum sharing his memories of contending with Winston’s cantankerous Tyrannosaurus Rex.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 June 2026
  • The pièce de résistance is Belle’s willingness to engage with a cantankerous lion-man who has an outrageous temper, thanks to the chip on his very large shoulder.
    — Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026
Definition of cantankerous
Adjective
  • There are also a lot of people who have never dreamed of being disagreeable in public, much less considered joining a raucous social movement.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026
  • The disagreeable object proved no match for the most fertile person in Montana.
    — Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Definition of disagreeable
Adjective
  • The American right, too, is in a shifting, querulous state.
    — Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026
  • In fact, the B-2 bombers were still in the air with hours to go before reaching home when Van Hollen issued his querulous statement.
    — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
Definition of querulous
Adjective
  • Look the steady coarsening of American civic and political culture and the ways in which the once-outrageous—the bilious, hateful rhetoric and the creeping authoritarianism—have become almost ordinary.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
  • Minaj’s bilious flurry is possibly related to claims that she is owed between $100 to 200 million related to her stake in Tidal, the music streaming service launched and spearheaded by Jay-Z in 2015 and was sold to Jack Dorsey’s company Square for $297 million in 2021.
    — Andrew Flanagan, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
Definition of bilious
Adjective
  • Better is Danny Elfman’s spartan and fraught score, particularly the dyspeptic drums.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
  • But Kael sensed in her less dyspeptic moments that there was something special about Redford.
    — Stephen Galloway, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
Definition of dyspeptic
Adjective
  • Leach also would publicly call out his players and could get ornery when questioned about his team’s shortcomings.
    — Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 2 June 2026
  • The rabbi is ornery, arrogant, sometimes cruel.
    — Daniel Felsenthal, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of ornery
Adjective
  • Back at the dilapidated family home, Edgar grows even surlier, lashing into gentle-natured Joe for being an under-achiever compared to his brother and causing Thya to become apprehensive about Ed’s proximity to sharp objects.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026
  • Kara Zor-El, the cynical, surly protagonist of the new Supergirl movie, has a very different attitude than her goody two-shoes cousin, Clark Kent.
    — James Grebey, Time, 26 June 2026
Definition of surly
Adjective
  • Julian Dennison stars as the troubled Ricky Baker, a kid who ends up on the run with an irascible old man, played by Sam Neill.
    — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 14 July 2026
  • Neill starred in the first two seasons of Peaky Blinders as Chester Campbell, an irascible and ruthless inspector charged with rooting out organized crime in Birmingham.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 13 July 2026
Definition of irascible
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

cross fires
cross-grained
crossing
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Cite this Entry

“Cross-grained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cross-grained. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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