crabby

[ krab-ee ]

adjective

, crab·bi·er, crab·bi·est.

1. Informal. grouchy; ill-natured; irritable; peevish.

crabby

/ ˈkræbɪ /

adjective

1. bad-tempered

Other Words From

• crabbi·ly adverb
• crabbi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of crabby¹

First recorded in 1540–50; crab ³ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

The earliest crabs were very different from those alive today, and their appearance was “mostly something in between lobstery-looking and crabby-looking,” Luque says.

From Popular-Science

When I was a Catholic school kid in the late 1960s and early ’70s, many of my teachers were joyful Franciscans, not the crabby, knuckle-rapping ones of earlier decades.

From Time

For us, this is Louis C.K. and his crabby, melancholic, and profanely funny half-hour comedy.

From The Daily Beast

Never underestimate the power of “crabby snacks and homemades.”

From The Daily Beast

Crabby American billionaires want their money back, writes John Avlon.

From The Daily Beast

It makes kids crabby and compromises their ability to learn.

From The Daily Beast

Today, Nichol comes across as downright crabby when asked about the senator.

From The Daily Beast

There comes a time when a woman has to make up her mind to choose between being called a 'dear old soul' or a 'crabby old thing.'

From Project Gutenberg

Persius is crabby, because ancient, and his jerks (being particularly given to private customs of his time) dusky.

From Project Gutenberg

I entertained myself with keeping her to the subject, and that made her crabby.

From Project Gutenberg

Time was getting short, and it was no use wasting time on my crabby landlady.

From Project Gutenberg

Accordingly the Hermit exerted himself to please, and it would really have taken more than three crabby boys to resist him.

From Project Gutenberg