Search results
- DictionaryCrank·y/ˈkraNGkē/
adjective
- 1. ill-tempered; irritable: informal "he was bored and cranky after eight hours of working" Similar bad-temperedirritableirascibletetchytestygrumpygrouchycrotchetyin a (bad) moodill-temperedill-naturedill-humoredpeevishhaving gotten up on the wrong side of the bedcrossfractiousdisagreeablecantankerouscurmudgeonlypettishcrabbedcrabbywaspishpricklypepperytouchyscratchycrustyspleneticshrewishshort-temperedhot-temperedquick-tempereddyspepticcholericbiliousliverishcross-grainedas cross as two sticksinformal:snappishsnappychippyon a short fuseshort-fusedshirtystroppynarkyrattyeggylike a bear with a sore headornerypeckishsoreheadedsnakyinformal, dated:waxymiffy
- ▪ eccentric or strange, typically because highly unorthodox: informal "a cranky scheme to pipe ground-level ozone into the stratosphere" Similar eccentricbizarreweirdpeculiaroddquirkyavant-gardeunconventionaloff-centerstrangeoutlandishridiculousludicrousmadinsanecrazyabsurdinformal:wackyscrewynuttynutscrackpotcrackedoddballkinkyoff the wallway outdippycuckoodaftkookywackoleft-fieldinformal, dated:dilly
- ▪ (of a machine) working badly; shaky: informal "the cranky elevator breaks down periodically"
Word Origin late 18th century (in the sense ‘sickly, in poor health’): perhaps from obsolete (counterfeit) crank ‘a rogue feigning sickness’, from Dutch or German krank ‘sick’.
Derivatives
- 1. crankily adverb
- 2. crankiness noun
Scrabble Points: 15
C
3R
1A
1N
1K
5Y
4
Powered by Oxford Languages
Searches related to define cranky
define cranky meaning define grumpy