as in crab
an irritable and complaining person
that old sourpuss must spend all his time making sure no one traipses across his lawn
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Recent Examples of sourpuss
And Brightman, who’s built a reputation playing wilder roles, shows his range by going straightfaced as the sourpuss fish out of water.
—
Naveen Kumar, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
The Republicans sat like stubborn sourpusses eager for the 81-year-old president to stumble.
—Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Four generations on, the Grinch’s humble roots on the page as a black-and-white sourpuss, looking down on Who-ville and rueing the impending town feast, have become a Christmas cottage industry.
—Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2020
The suggestion turns me into Schrödinger's sourpuss: neither angry nor disappointed but a superposition of both.
—Tom Simonite, Wired, 18 Feb. 2020
Even a sourpuss like Heifetz let his hair down madly dashing through the finale like a child’s first moments at Disneyland.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2019
Reeves shoulders the dual roles of twin brothers with markedly divergent personalities: peevish sourpuss John and sweet-natured James, who is deep into a losing battle with AIDS.
—Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 7 May 2018
According to the Washington Post, a jury awarded famed sourpuss Grumpy Cat $710,000 in damages on Monday, settling a lawsuit that began in 2015 between the cat’s company and the Grenade beverage company.
—Kate Hogan, PEOPLE.com, 25 Jan. 2018
To most Internet users, Grumpy Cat - the feline with a furry frown - is a minor celebrity that capitalized on the popularity of memes in 2012 as a perpetual sourpuss.
—The Washington Post, OregonLive.com, 25 Jan. 2018
Naveen Kumar, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
The Republicans sat like stubborn sourpusses eager for the 81-year-old president to stumble.
—Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Four generations on, the Grinch’s humble roots on the page as a black-and-white sourpuss, looking down on Who-ville and rueing the impending town feast, have become a Christmas cottage industry.
—Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2020
The suggestion turns me into Schrödinger's sourpuss: neither angry nor disappointed but a superposition of both.
—Tom Simonite, Wired, 18 Feb. 2020
Even a sourpuss like Heifetz let his hair down madly dashing through the finale like a child’s first moments at Disneyland.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2019
Reeves shoulders the dual roles of twin brothers with markedly divergent personalities: peevish sourpuss John and sweet-natured James, who is deep into a losing battle with AIDS.
—Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 7 May 2018
According to the Washington Post, a jury awarded famed sourpuss Grumpy Cat $710,000 in damages on Monday, settling a lawsuit that began in 2015 between the cat’s company and the Grenade beverage company.
—Kate Hogan, PEOPLE.com, 25 Jan. 2018
To most Internet users, Grumpy Cat - the feline with a furry frown - is a minor celebrity that capitalized on the popularity of memes in 2012 as a perpetual sourpuss.
—The Washington Post, OregonLive.com, 25 Jan. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sourpuss
Noun
-
The episode filmed in 2025 saw Hansen collapse on his Bering Sea crab fishing vessel; he was then rushed to the hospital, where doctors encouraged the ship captain to reconsider retirement.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
-
The Dungeness crab claw cocktail has all the tactile joy of a seafood boil.—
Colin Wrenn,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
However, the Lakers are complainers to begin with and have always gotten a favorable whistle.—
David Troy OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
-
The pervasive popularity of the show and its creator will be the reason the complainers have no voice.—
Rich Heldenfels,
Boston Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Killing bears made Jacobs his name, but killing elk made good supper.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
In May, the National Park Service said a man who went missing while hiking in Glacier National Park in Montana was killed by a bear in what authorities believe to be the first deadly bear attack at the park since 1998.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
With a turn of a crank, Edison astonished the dozen or so staffers who had gathered around the contraption.—
Ron Cowen,
Scientific American,
3 June 2026
-
Visitors will be welcomed to visit the pop-up book and rotate a crank that flips through the pages, providing a behind-the-scenes look into what makes Philly’s Chinatown so vibrant.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
But the effervescent stage show, from creator Cinco Paul and director-choreographer Christoper Gattelli, is all but irresistible — a giddy love letter to the form that’s enough to turn even the most skeptical curmudgeon into a walking heart-eye emoji.—
Naveen Kumar,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The David Hockney–esque Julian was a star of the ’60s and ’70s but has spent the past three decades in prolonged retreat, living off his notoriety and persona as an art curmudgeon — first as a judge on a reality-competition show and, more recently, on Cameo.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Cooper is a curmudgeonly old grump, brisque with his daughter and rude to his son-in-law.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
If Annelle is a sweet bean, then Ouiser Boudreaux is the neighborhood grump.—
Libby Smith,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sourpuss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sourpuss. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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