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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of grumpy
Twenty-six years after Home Improvement wrapped, the actress joined her former cast mates Richard Karn and Patricia Richardson in a scene in which Allen's grumpy protagonist Matt Parker begrudgingly attends a grief support group frequented by Charlotte (Nancy Travis).
—
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2025
Brooks is a grumpy NYPD detective trying to track down the mom, while Higgins is Brooks’ cop partner.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 22 Sep. 2025
The mobiles stir like birds or trees; the stabiles squat, grumpy and irregular, like walruses.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Its grumpy yet cute nature was what really got to me.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grumpy
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2025
Brooks is a grumpy NYPD detective trying to track down the mom, while Higgins is Brooks’ cop partner.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 22 Sep. 2025
The mobiles stir like birds or trees; the stabiles squat, grumpy and irregular, like walruses.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Its grumpy yet cute nature was what really got to me.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grumpy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grumpy
Adjective
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Most cases clear up on their own without complications, but parents should contact a doctor if a child cannot keep fluids down, has a high fever lasting more than a few days or seems unusually drowsy or irritable.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
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Also known as irritable hip, the condition is due to inflammation of the hip joint lining.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Despite three tumultuous relocations in the past half-century, most recently a defection to Sin City five years ago, the Raiders still have a rabid fan base — at Allegiant, every game day is Halloween — and the natives and transplants (including 62,080 attendees Sunday) are getting restless.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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Recent celebratory concerts dedicated to the two have been sites not of reverence but of restless rediscovery.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Townsend will play Norm Stinson, an excellent (and grouchy) veteran basketball coach who knows how to get the best out of his teams, but not always how to communicate.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
25 Sep. 2025
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Leading up to kickoff of Belichick’s debut at Chapel Hill, college football, this community and certainly the TV networks were thrilled with the prospect of this grouchy old man turning an irrelevant football team into something worth watching.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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When Bey is displeased, however, the Spaniard is lucky to survive another day.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
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Needless to say, Cowboys fans were displeased with the loss, and so was one of the team's Super Bowl winners.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Trying to Kill Each Other' And Walken is marvelous — querulous, petty, cruel — as the Emperor.—
Tom Gliatto,
Peoplemag,
29 Feb. 2024
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Instead, Gerwig and Baumbach promote querulous sloganeering.—
Armond White,
National Review,
19 July 2023
Adjective
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Leah stayed crabby through dinner.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
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Attend the Fiddler Crab Festival Every February over Presidents’ Day weekend, the three-day Fiddler Crab Festival brings crabby fun and community pride to Steinhatchee.—
Skye Sherman,
Southern Living,
5 July 2025
Adjective
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The dogs' job on marathon day will be to calm race-day jitters at the starting line, where runners can feel overwhelmed or nervous about the trek ahead.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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There was a lot of nervous smiling.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Not in any explicit way—my father wasn’t the cranky, alcoholic ex-minor league baseball player who drove around Los Angeles with his pool cleaning equipment in the back of his Cadillac convertible played by Matthau.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
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Our cranky heroine is played by Saul alum Rhea Seehorn, beloved by fans of the spin-off but far from a household name.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grumpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grumpy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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