as in irritable
having or showing a habitually bad temper
an ornery old man who always yells at the neighborhood kids to keep off his lawn
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Recent Examples of ornery
This is a ghost story of sorts, written in cycles and loops, loafers and suits, ornery protest and wired-to-the-skies dance weekends.
—
Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
In it, a very green Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) must contend with ornery cast members and writers, a set that's falling apart, meddling network execs, and threats from Hollywood icons.
—Jillian Sederholm, EW.com, 15 Jan. 2025
The toy comes to life, fends off some ornery mice with his sword and leads Clara through a wintry dreamworld of dancing Christmas treats.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Dec. 2024
One memorable scene, in which Tom Hanks’s ornery coach Jimmy Dugan throws a baseball mitt at a sneering Stilwell, proved particularly difficult.
—John Russell, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ornery
Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
In it, a very green Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) must contend with ornery cast members and writers, a set that's falling apart, meddling network execs, and threats from Hollywood icons.
—Jillian Sederholm, EW.com, 15 Jan. 2025
The toy comes to life, fends off some ornery mice with his sword and leads Clara through a wintry dreamworld of dancing Christmas treats.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Dec. 2024
One memorable scene, in which Tom Hanks’s ornery coach Jimmy Dugan throws a baseball mitt at a sneering Stilwell, proved particularly difficult.
—John Russell, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ornery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ornery
Adjective
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And even in what was a stilted match played in an increasingly irritable atmosphere, Rogers and Tielemans delivered with an assist each.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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This stretch can worsen pain in people with back pain, very tight hamstrings, or irritable nerves.—
Aubrey Bailey, PT, DPT, CHT,
Verywell Health,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
An angry man, the same one from earlier, bellows at Jackson as he is muscled off the ball, and there are more expletives as Chelsea pass it backwards after getting close to Everton’s penalty area.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
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In 2010, under pressure over the healthcare overhaul that became known as Obamacare, a number of House Democrats skipped public events after facing angry town halls the previous summer.—
Steve Peoples and Thomas Beaumont,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Oldman’s performance in the show has been widely praised and he’s earned both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for playing the cantankerous head of Slough House, Jackson Lamb.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
23 Mar. 2025
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The trust's extensive provisions are just an example of Barnes' quirky and often cantankerous nature.—
Blake Gopnik,
Newsweek,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
An example: Sip and Polina have been thrown into Ian Mayfair’s home prison (a must for every supernatural villain property), complete with iron bars and a surly watchman, but this turns out to be an extremely minor setback.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
2 Mar. 2025
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The Sum of a Career in Spaceflight Schirra had announced his plans to retire from NASA before the Apollo 7 flight, and a successful (if surly) mission, topped off with an Emmy Award and a Deep Draft Command certificate, wasn’t a bad way to wrap up a nine-year career at the agency.—
Kiona N. Smith,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Befriending Cressida Cowper is a respectable exercise in recognizing biases, but the pair’s interactions are as disagreeable as those bangs.—
Zoe Haylock,
Vulture,
16 May 2024
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If Alex has a bit more credibility, not being as intractable in her positions, both have a tendency to come off as disagreeable in their incessant bickering and self-righteousness.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In the Nineties, the report became a staple in the bilious feedstock of right-wing militias, part of a slurry of propaganda that turned legitimate grievances into the conviction that FEMA agents in unmarked black helicopters were soon to enact a new world order.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harper's Magazine,
19 Feb. 2025
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The death chamber is nine feet by twelve feet, painted a bilious turquoise.—
Lawrence Wright,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ornery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ornery. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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