cantankerous

can·tan·ker·ous

adj \kan-ˈtaŋ-k(ə-)rəs, kən-\

Definition of CANTANKEROUS

: difficult or irritating to deal with <a cantankerous mule>

— can·tan·ker·ous·ly adverb

— can·tan·ker·ous·ness noun

Examples of CANTANKEROUS

1. <a cantankerous old woman who insisted that nothing should ever be allowed to change>
2. Contemporaries often found him aloof, standoffish, and cantankerous and his mannerisms and diction inscrutable. —Jonathan Spence, New York Review of Books, 22 Oct. 2009
3. There are those who contend the hockey maven is a cantankerous old coot—rife with unpopular opinions and quick to assert them —Rick Harrison, Newsday, 19 Sept. 2004
4. … it's something ultimately more memorable: a self-portrait of a coolly cantankerous woman, reformed but unrepentant. —David Gates, New York Times Book Review, 21 Nov. 1999
5. In his last years, Harriman was the kind of cantankerous old man who once berated a financial planner by threatening to make him sit in the corner and wear a dunce cap. —Bryan Burrough, Vanity Fair, January 1995

Origin of CANTANKEROUS

perhaps irregular from obsolete contack contention

First Known Use: 1772

Related to CANTANKEROUS

Synonyms: acid, bearish, bilious, bloody-minded [chiefly British], ill–tempered, disagreeable, dyspeptic, ill-humored, ill-natured, ornery, splenetic, surly

Antonyms: amiable, good-humored, good-natured, good-tempered

Related Words: choleric, crabby, cranky, crotchety, fussy, grouchy, grumpy, querulous; irascible, irritable, peevish, peppery, petulant, quick-tempered, short-tempered, snappish, snippy, testy, touchy; argumentative, contentious, contrary, cussed; angry, exasperated, indignant, irate, mad, upset, uptight; depressed, dour, glum, morose, sullen; anal, old-maidish, schoolmarmish

Near Antonyms: agreeable, amicable, congenial, friendly, pleasant; benign, gentle, kind, nice, sweet; bubbly, cheerful, cheery, effervescent, exuberant, high-spirited, joyful, lighthearted, lively, vivacious; content, glad, happy; calm, placid, serene; long-suffering, patient, tolerant

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