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
There’s Loto, who designed and maintains the canoe; Kele, the grouchy elder chef who prepares vegetables; and Moni, a young storyteller and Maui fanboy.
—
Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 27 Nov. 2024
The energy of the performances — from Aduba’s deadpan forthrightness to the more antic work by comedians like Marino and Jane Curtin (as the president’s grouchy mother-in-law) — and the rat-a-tat style of all the conversations carries the day.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2025
The episode ends with Matty about to meet up with the firm’s perpetually grouchy dog lover and Barry Manilow fan in the park, revealing her secret to someone at the firm at last.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
The only people who can help Sara and Devin are Isaac (Taylor Kitsch), a grouchy mountain man, and Two Moons (Shawnee Pourier), a mute Shoshone girl fleeing her own violent past.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grouchy
Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 27 Nov. 2024
The energy of the performances — from Aduba’s deadpan forthrightness to the more antic work by comedians like Marino and Jane Curtin (as the president’s grouchy mother-in-law) — and the rat-a-tat style of all the conversations carries the day.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2025
The episode ends with Matty about to meet up with the firm’s perpetually grouchy dog lover and Barry Manilow fan in the park, revealing her secret to someone at the firm at last.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
The only people who can help Sara and Devin are Isaac (Taylor Kitsch), a grouchy mountain man, and Two Moons (Shawnee Pourier), a mute Shoshone girl fleeing her own violent past.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grouchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grouchy
Adjective
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Avi tries to comfort his grieving (read: irritable) mother by saying at least his grandmother and grandfather are together again in Heaven.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
22 Aug. 2025
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For years men have blamed divorce on menopause and said women are irritable and irrational, says Alyx Coble-Frake, founder of The Agenda, an app that helps women track their menstrual cycle to help increase productivity.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In fact, for a subgroup of participants who showed high hyperarousal symptoms early on, such as being extremely on edge, restless or unable to relax, emotional debriefing actually made their symptoms worse compared to the control group.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
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At those, Democrats restless about their party’s direction grumbled at Levin’s answers and urged more action from their leaders; one event was disrupted by protests over Israel’s killing of Palestinians in Gaza.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Golden smiles for the picture but makes a grumpy face in a second photo, sitting alongside her older sister Sterling Skye, 4.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
16 July 2025
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Golden smiled for the picture but made a grumpy face in a second photo, sitting alongside her older sister, Sterling.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Attend the Fiddler Crab Festival Every February over Presidents’ Day weekend, the three-day Fiddler Crab Festival brings crabby fun and community pride to Steinhatchee.—
Skye Sherman,
Southern Living,
5 July 2025
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Her dissatisfaction with her crabby old husband drives her into the same state of amorous turmoil that Vanya and Sonya find themselves in.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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It’s spoken by Jaques, a cranky courtier from the entourage of Duke Senior, living in banishment in the Forest of Arden.—
Matthew Gurewitsch,
Air Mail,
16 Aug. 2025
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In that context, DeMarco’s gestures at sovereignty feel less cranky and more radical.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
11 Aug. 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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Faced with punishment from school administrators, Westman appeared alternately nervous and nonchalant, the former employee said.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
29 Aug. 2025
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While most dogs don’t love pills, all dogs love a tasty treat, making these calming hemp chews an excellent choice for your nervous pup.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Indeed, the high rate of spoiled votes suggests that citizens are dissatisfied with their democratic choices.—
Mollie J. Cohen,
The Conversation,
18 Aug. 2025
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Some analysts have identified widespread dissatisfaction within the Democratic base, with multiple polls indicating that a large share of Democratic voters are dissatisfied with current leadership and want new voices at the top of the party.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grouchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grouchy. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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