crankier; crankiest
1
a
: given to fretful fussiness : readily angered when opposed : crotchety
Our long wait … left us a tad cranky.—
Connecticut
Connecticut
b
: marked by eccentricity
… his bizarre and cranky mix of ideas and beliefs …—R. J. Evans
R. J. Evans2
: full of twists and turns : tortuous
a cranky road
3
: working erratically : unpredictable
a cranky old tractor
of a boat
Synonyms
Examples of cranky in a Sentence
Adjective (1)
that old typewriter is handy sometimes, but rather cranky these days
the baby was cranky after not being fed for hours
if cranky children don't appreciate what they already have, then they shouldn't get a thing more
that's just another of his cranky theories about the CIA
the man would inflict on innocent bystanders his cranky ruminations on world events
Recent Examples on the Web
Mary Helen Law, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2024
Exhausted kids are more likely to be cranky, impatient, and do poorly in school.
—Lori Miller Kase, Parents, 30 Oct. 2024
And Laurel is the cranky old matriarch complaining about the egregious taxes on game-show earnings.
—Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
And there was Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor getting cranky during oral arguments about the lack of uniform standards for ballots and how they are handled.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cranky 
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Adjective
There's nothing worse than spending hours walking with no clear destination or waiting in a long line with cranky kids.
—Mary Helen Law, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2024
Exhausted kids are more likely to be cranky, impatient, and do poorly in school.
—Lori Miller Kase, Parents, 30 Oct. 2024
And Laurel is the cranky old matriarch complaining about the egregious taxes on game-show earnings.
—Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
And there was Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor getting cranky during oral arguments about the lack of uniform standards for ballots and how they are handled.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cranky
Articles Related to cranky
Dictionary Entries Near cranky
Cite this Entry
“Cranky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cranky. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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