Synonyms of crotchety

crotchety

adjective

ˈkrä-chə-tē 

as in irritable

easily irritated or annoyed

I get crotchety after a long day at work

Synonyms & Similar Words

• irritable
• fiery
• irascible
• grouchy
• peevish
• petulant
• grumpy
• snappish
• crabby
• testy
• cranky
• snarky
• waspish
• choleric
• pettish
• stuffy
• cross
• raspy
• snippy
• out of sorts
• passionate
• out of humor
• cantankerous
• curmudgeonly
• prickly
• ornery
• short-tempered
• ratty
• sensitive
• perverse
• querulous
• dyspeptic
• quick-tempered
• snippety
• surly
• bilious
• short
• snarly
• disagreeable
• belligerent
• pugnacious
• combative
• contentious
• snappy
• fretful
• argumentative
• bellicose
• quarrelsome
• truculent
• tetchy
• ill-tempered
• sulky
• fractious
• ill-natured
• sullen
• ill-humored
• pouty
• bearish
• scrappy
• huffy
• disputatious
• cross-grained
• off-color
• touchy
• thin-skinned
• hot-blooded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• genial
• friendly
• affable
• outgoing
• cordial
• gregarious
• amiable
• sociable
• companionable
• sweet
• extroverted
• good-natured
• agreeable
• easygoing
• carefree
• patient
• stoic
• good-tempered
• tolerant
• relaxed
• well-disposed
• long-suffering
• forbearing
• uncomplaining
• obliging
• understanding
• happy-go-lucky

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of crotchety

The tale she’s lived to tell emerges, for all its crotchety complaints, from a place of unerring loyalty. — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025

There are no shaky limbs in Wolfs, though there are some creaky joints, and an Advil joke—because aches and pains are a thing men can joke about, charmingly, while women who do the same run the risk of coming off as crotchety old complainers. — Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 20 Sep. 2024

The narrators of these stories are crotchety, easily nettled by the behaviors of other passengers. — Jasmine Liu, The New Republic, 24 Oct. 2023

Not to mention mostly crotchety baseball writers, the most tenured of which make up the Hall of Fame voting electorate. — Dallas News, 20 Jan. 2023