cranky

¹ American  

[krang-kee] / ˈkræŋ ki /

adjective

crankier, crankiest

1. ill-tempered; grouchy; cross.

   I'm always cranky when I don't get enough sleep.

   Synonyms:

   perverse , cantankerous , crotchety

2. eccentric; queer.

3. shaky; unsteady; out of order.

4. full of bends or windings; crooked.

5. British Dialect.  sickly; in unsound or feeble condition; infirm.

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cranky ² American  

[krang-kee] / ˈkræŋ ki /

adjective

Nautical.

1. crank.

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cranky ¹ British  

/ ˈkræŋkɪ /

adjective

1. informal  eccentric

2. informal  fussy and bad-tempered

3. shaky; out of order

4. full of bends and turns

5. dialect  unwell

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cranky ² British  

/ ˈkræŋkɪ /

adjective

1. nautical another word for crank 2

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Other Word Forms

• crankily adverb
• crankiness noun

Etymology

Origin of cranky¹

First recorded in 1780–90; crank ¹ + -y ¹

Origin of cranky²

First recorded in 1835–45; crank ² + -y ¹

Example Sentences

“The purists, they get cranky about this, you know, and say that it’s supposed to be gin and vermouth and that’s all a martini should be.”

From Salon

As a younger man, Munger could be cranky and acerbic; now, he was warm and reflective.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s tempting to dismiss the abrupt retirement of Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congress as the end of an odd, cranky political career.

From The Wall Street Journal

I don’t even need you to be there, but if you’re going to be there, if you could not be cranky, that would be great.

From Los Angeles Times

A handful of rare and cranky antiques are powering the ungainly Hollywood resurgence of VistaVision.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cantankerous
• grouchy
• grumpy
• irascible
• irritable
• ornery
• ugly