1
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
a lack of sleep would make anyone grouchy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in restless
given to complaining a lot
a grouchy kid who refuses to eat his vegetables
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grouchy
Why was everyone grouchy after drinking the apple cider?
—
Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 18 Nov. 2024
The movie follows a kid and his friend who dig into the mysteries of a haunted house across the street after the grouchy old man who lived there dies in his yard.
—Dustin Nelson, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
Grier expertly blends grouchy and avuncular, skeptical and devoted, without making either extreme feel like a cliché.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Oct. 2024
Europeans feel decidedly grouchy about the region’s economic prospects.
—Forrester, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grouchy
Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 18 Nov. 2024
The movie follows a kid and his friend who dig into the mysteries of a haunted house across the street after the grouchy old man who lived there dies in his yard.
—Dustin Nelson, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
Grier expertly blends grouchy and avuncular, skeptical and devoted, without making either extreme feel like a cliché.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Oct. 2024
Europeans feel decidedly grouchy about the region’s economic prospects.
—Forrester, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grouchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grouchy
Adjective
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This misalignment impairs your sleep and concentration, and can leave you feeling irritable.—
Mackenzie Gamble,
The Conversation,
10 Feb. 2025
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Here’s one way to take your mind off a certain election that seems to have everyone tense and irritable these days — consider that Tahoe ski season is almost here.—
Randy McMullen,
The Mercury News,
31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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According to Owens, excellence is impossible for a restless soul.—
Leslie D. Rose,
Parents,
19 Feb. 2025
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Jeanne is 15, a restless adolescent among a tribe of younger children in an orphanage in the mountains where she is first seen wandering at dusk, her way lit by the snow’s reflective glitter.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The best picture-winning boxing drama paired up-and-coming boxer Maggie (Hilary Swank) with grumpy reluctant coach Frankie (Clint Eastwood).—
Brian Truitt,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
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The pair meet after the guy picks up a prescription for an extremely gnarly black eye, setting off a whirlwind romance that’s inevitably disrupted by — what else? — a grumpy parent.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Take the Lishman’s Deli sketch, in which Murphy’s Gumby character — the green clay stop-motion figure reimagined as a crabby Borscht Belt has-been — trades insults with a gang of alter kockers played by Crystal, Guest and Short, who reminisce and argue about sandwiches named for celebrities.—
James Poniewozik,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2025
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California’s crabby conundrum Dungeness crabs are plucked from the Pacific to use for sushi rolls, salads and their namesake cakes.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Trying to Kill Each Other' And Walken is marvelous — querulous, petty, cruel — as the Emperor.—
Tom Gliatto,
Peoplemag,
29 Feb. 2024
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Instead, Gerwig and Baumbach promote querulous sloganeering.—
Armond White,
National Review,
19 July 2023
Adjective
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Atop all this, Floria is charged with supervising nervous, error-prone student nurse Amelie (Selma) — tempers fray as precious time runs out.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
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In the final round, a nervous Castle missed his first four dunk attempts for his first dunk of the round, before finishing with pizzaz on a between-the-legs up-and-under one-handed flush.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Fox this month also premiered a half-hour comedy, Going Dutch, starring a cranky (though not notoriously right-wing) actor — Denis Leary — that revolves around characters in the military.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
17 Jan. 2025
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Michael Ritchie’s hilarious classic features a cranky boozer (Walter Matthau at his best) coaching a batch of bad-news Little Leaguers, one played by Tatum O’Neal.—
Randy Myers,
The Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Trump asked his secretaries after a reporter asked the president if any Cabinet members were dissatisfied with Musk's role.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2025
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Customers were dissatisfied when orders were late or incorrect.—
Ketan Anand,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grouchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grouchy. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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