1
as in complainer
an irritable and complaining person
an uncle who is a real grouch when he's sick
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pouts
a state of resentful silence or irritability
having been proven wrong, he had a grouch on for hours afterwards
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3
as in whine
an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment
it wouldn't be a workday if we didn't hear his daily grouch about how bad the coffee is
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
always seems to be grouching about the weather
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grouch
Eric C. Shuster, Austin American-Statesman, 6 Dec. 2024
The Grinch, a furious grouch living on the outskirts of Whoville, decides to ruin the holiday by posing as Santa Claus and stealing everyone’s presents, decorations, and feasts.
—EW.com, 30 Nov. 2024
Origin: Latin Meaning: Free, Frenchman Alternative Spellings and Variations: Francis, Frankie
Oscar
Sure, the most famous Oscar is either a statue or a grouch, but the name itself is a strong choice that will grow with your child.
—Kara Nesvig, Parents, 23 Sep. 2024
Though the kitty is getting long in the tooth, Oscar is no grouch; his name is an acronym for OutSide Cat at Rear.
—John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grouch
Noun
Warm feelings fueled by the wonder and kindness of the season, inspired by the transformative and timeless experiences of Ebenezer Scrooge who changed from a selfish, penny-pinching grouch, into a generous, happy and altruistic person.
—Eric C. Shuster, Austin American-Statesman, 6 Dec. 2024
The Grinch, a furious grouch living on the outskirts of Whoville, decides to ruin the holiday by posing as Santa Claus and stealing everyone’s presents, decorations, and feasts.
—EW.com, 30 Nov. 2024
Origin: Latin Meaning: Free, Frenchman Alternative Spellings and Variations: Francis, Frankie
Oscar
Sure, the most famous Oscar is either a statue or a grouch, but the name itself is a strong choice that will grow with your child.
—Kara Nesvig, Parents, 23 Sep. 2024
Though the kitty is getting long in the tooth, Oscar is no grouch; his name is an acronym for OutSide Cat at Rear.
—John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grouch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grouch
Noun
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If family needs cause drama, set kind boundaries and explain them to any complainers.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
2 Jan. 2026
-
The faculty experience has been that administrations often side with the complainers.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Before this high achiever entered La Mer’s roster of offerings, its lip category consisted only of The Lip Balm, The Lip Polish, and The Lip Volumizer — all geared towards nourishing, restoring, and, in case of the latter, treating pouts to buildable color.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
6 Oct. 2025
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While Shrek pouts about missing his solo ogre days, the dastardly Rumpelstiltskin takes advantage, offering him a contract to relive that romanticized time in his life — for a day.—
Skyler Trepel September 1,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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These are no longer the days of whine and turned-up noses.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
30 Nov. 2025
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Deciphering the vocalizations involves both sound and context, as a dog’s bark or whine may be tied to its situation, Zhu said.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Boston Herald,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In recent years, staff have complained of poor working conditions brought on by overcrowding, despite director Laurence des Cars’s 2023 move to cap attendance at 30,000 visitors daily, accompanied by a ticket price increase.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
7 Nov. 2025
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Later that day, the parents of other dancers and talent-show participants complained that my afro had covered up their kids on-screen.—
Questlove,
The Atlantic,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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At just below 60 feet, Dickie’s Reef is a haven for barracuda, parrotfish, butterfly fish, crab and lobsters.—
Adrienne Jordan,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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Antipasti, insalata, and fritti follows, with dishes like lobster polpette fra diavolo, capellini crab AOP, and the new Mario’s Famous di Mare Salad.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Prolonged exposure to the cold conditions will lead to hypothermia for people, pets, and livestock.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
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Levinson has cited David Wojnarowicz’s haunted, unflinching writing on the AIDS crisis as an influence, and the lyric sheet is littered with pets and prayers and names of friends, giving their music the feeling of a community being preserved in song.—
Sam Sodomsky,
Pitchfork,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Until Verizon amends its complaint and the judge rules on the emergency request, there is no court directive preventing the association from moving forward with the rooftop work that Verizon says would interrupt wireless service in the area.—
David Hudnall,
Kansas City Star,
6 Jan. 2026
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Beyond the service commitments, the complaint accuses HMM of conditioning access to space on the payment of peak season surcharges (PSS) and other extra-contractual fees—despite contract language that expressly barred such add-ons unless mutually agreed.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Hearing the Creature screaming his name, Victor turns back.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Jan. 2026
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For all the talk about home-field advantage and the Bears needing their fans to scream 20 percent louder and be 30 percent drunker than usual, past precedent shows that won’t matter much.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grouch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grouch. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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