cantankerous
/kanˈtaŋk(ə)rəs
/adjective
Bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative: he can be a cantankerous old fossil at times...
- When the cantankerous old miller dies of a heart attack, he bequeaths his property to his eldest son, his donkey to the second, and the mill cat to his youngest son Mark.
- Now we have responsibility for my 88 year old cantankerous maiden aunt who suffers from moderately severe dementia and resides in a rest home.
- This isn't like the cantankerous old Johnboy we've come to know and loathe, and frankly I find this a bit disturbing, but a welcome change.
Synonyms
bad-tempered, irascible, irritable, grumpy, grouchy, crotchety, tetchy, testy, crusty, curmudgeonly, ill-tempered, ill-natured, ill-humoured, peevish, cross, as cross as two sticks, fractious, disagreeable, pettish, crabbed, crabby, waspish, prickly, peppery, touchy, scratchy, splenetic, shrewish, short-tempered, hot-tempered, quick-tempered, dyspeptic, choleric, bilious, liverish, cross-grained;
argumentative, quarrelsome, uncooperative, contrary, perverse, difficult, awkward
informal snappish, snappy, chippy, on a short fuse, short-fused
British informal shirty, stroppy, narky, ratty, eggy, like a bear with a sore head
North American informal cranky, ornery, peckish, soreheaded
Australian/New Zealand informal snaky
informal, dated waxy, miffy
Derivatives
cantankerously
/ adverb ...- In the hope of warming up that body, MoMA is now publishing Positif: 50 Years, the first anthology in English of reviews from the cantankerously venerable French journal.
- On the other hand Bach, despite his cantankerously quarrelsome nature, is seen as a genius superior even to Mozart (a rather futile comparison hardly worth attempting).
- We didn't exactly run the school, but there were many things that were left to us, and we debated over them cantankerously.
cantankerousness
/ noun ...- Giving readings was seen as an embarrassment, and generations of German poets were proud to fumble around in sullen cantankerousness.
- I think modern parents will empathise with him, I really do, if people really listen to this play, but because of his attitude and his cantankerousness he may not get sympathy.
- It amuses primarily thanks to Newhook, largely because he plays his character with the lightest touch, investing Vallis with a believable cantankerousness.
Origin
Mid 18th century: of unknown origin; perhaps a blend of Anglo-Irish cant 'auction' and rancorous (see rancour).