1
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
a grumpy neighbor whose yard we had long ago learned not to trespass
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in restless
given to complaining a lot
the baby's sure to be grumpy if she doesn't get her afternoon nap
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of grumpy
In Kennedy’s original series, Dean and Allie’s love story happens in Book Three, The Score, after the follow-up book The Mistake, which tracks the grumpy sunshine romance of John Logan (Antonio Cipriano) and Grace Ivers (India Fowler).
—
Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
Their season has been busy, grumpy and overstretched, and pressure has been a niggling, constant companion, particularly at home, but their opponents on Sunday were hapless, soft in defence and muddled in their thinking.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 18 May 2026
The fantasy comedy twisted the types of fairy tales that Disney was known for with cruder and sillier humor and centered a grumpy ogre journeying to save a princess.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 15 May 2026
Phil suggested Rick might just be a grumpy old man.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for grumpy
Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
Their season has been busy, grumpy and overstretched, and pressure has been a niggling, constant companion, particularly at home, but their opponents on Sunday were hapless, soft in defence and muddled in their thinking.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 18 May 2026
The fantasy comedy twisted the types of fairy tales that Disney was known for with cruder and sillier humor and centered a grumpy ogre journeying to save a princess.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 15 May 2026
Phil suggested Rick might just be a grumpy old man.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for grumpy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grumpy
Adjective
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But Maguire, now 43, became sad and irritable, and didn’t want to be around his newborn.—
Keith Wagstaff,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
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Additionally, Owens' youngest child, Titus, who was just a toddler when his mother died, was confused, irritable and inconsolable in the weeks after her death, Dias shared.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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James Boyard, a Haitian police officer and security expert, was abducted Thursday morning in Raimbol in the Bourdon neighborhood as the family traveled through the capital to see a doctor after a restless night caring for their sick daughter.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
14 June 2026
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From Prince Harry and Princess Diana’s matching moments in the late ’80s to Prince Louis’s famously restless balcony appearances, each ceremony has delivered its share of lighthearted highlights.—
Staff Author,
InStyle,
13 June 2026
Adjective
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Timothy Omundson played the grouchy but good-hearted Det.—
Danny Horn,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Mar. 2026
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That Utah rideshare driver, however, was justifiable more grouchy.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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But prosecutors said Farwell appeared displeased about the baby.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
26 May 2026
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Such displeased denizens might appreciate Bar Snack, a cocktail lounge that was recently named one of the country’s best new bars.—
Dan Stahl,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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This canonical part has been played by some of the foremost women of the British stage, among them Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Edith Evans, who, in Anthony Asquith’s 1952 film adaptation, put a delightfully querulous spin on Lady Bracknell’s most indelible lines.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
17 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Leah stayed crabby through dinner.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
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Dierkes said this is a game the two play, but, on this particular day, her son was crabbier than usual—and Simba had an agenda.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Fantasy managers were nervous about investing in Brown due to possible rotation but one per cent of them were rewarded with a goal, an assist and the scouting bonus.—
Holly Shand,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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Hundreds of thousands of fans, sitting in bars throughout the city, watched televisions in nervous silence.—
Jenna Thompson
June 16,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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For example, check-in slowed by a cranky ankle was met with a surprise delivery of a bag of ice, while an inquiry into a local attraction was answered with immediate directions and a follow-up printout of the schedule.—
Carrie Bell,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
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Dennis’s new poems are still conversational, philosophical, sometimes preachy, and cranky, and there is a fresh kind of transcendence here, one that has almost forgotten about disappointment.—
Craig Morgan Teicher,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grumpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grumpy. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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