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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grumpy
The roles taken by Burić, the grumpy coach, Romeo, who plays a scary janitor, and Löwensohn, who is the academy’s strict yet maternal manager, allowed Chryssos to toy with sports world tropes.
—
Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 May 2026
At times, Riley’s arguments about the way things used to be done come off as a grumpy old man and his lawn.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
He was trained by colorful and often grumpy Mel Stute, who was, like Shoemaker, a fixture at Santa Anita.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Following his selection, an emotional Simpson spoke with Sean McVay on the phone in a conversation that made headlines due to what appeared to be a grumpy reaction from his new head coach.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grumpy
Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 May 2026
At times, Riley’s arguments about the way things used to be done come off as a grumpy old man and his lawn.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
He was trained by colorful and often grumpy Mel Stute, who was, like Shoemaker, a fixture at Santa Anita.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Following his selection, an emotional Simpson spoke with Sean McVay on the phone in a conversation that made headlines due to what appeared to be a grumpy reaction from his new head coach.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grumpy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grumpy
Adjective
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Even Adam’s irritable female boss, Suzie (Sasheer Zamata), hides under a people-pleasing mask.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
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That’s because the Moon is at odds with Mars today and everyone is irritable.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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All the junior right-hander had to do was retire Arvada West’s Levi Lueck with the tying runs in scoring position and nobody in the restless crowd sitting at All-Star Park.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
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Based in New Orleans and Paris, Eloueini Architecture is celebrated for designing houses that fold, twist, stagger and float with a restless energy that belies the simplicity of their forms.—
Fred Albert,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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That Utah rideshare driver, however, was justifiable more grouchy.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
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Flockhart is equally supportive of Ford, having expressed her joy at watching her husband’s performance as the grouchy, oft-deadpan therapist.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Reunion host Andy Cohen was displeased in a Threads post.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The American right, too, is in a shifting, querulous state.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
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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
Adjective
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For the priests, this was a case of demonic possession due to witch-craft, and Mary’s crabby, aloof neighbor Elizabeth Jackson was the prime witch suspect.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
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The show followed the destitute Cuylers — father Early, his illegitimate son Rusty, his meth-loving sister Lily, and his crabby grandmother Granny — and their various moneymaking high jinks.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Spinella shucks off sentimentality, always showing us Con’s offhand humor and sometimes nervous, defensive rambling.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
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Companies start to get nervous when the percentage of shareholders blessing their pay plans dips well below the average, which is slightly above 90%, said Elizabeth Bieber, partner at the law firm Freshfields who leads shareholder engagement.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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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
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Two of the crankiest cultures in the world coming together in a commuting catastrophe.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grumpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grumpy. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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