1
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
a grumpy neighbor whose yard we had long ago learned not to trespass
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in restless
given to complaining a lot
the baby's sure to be grumpy if she doesn't get her afternoon nap
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grumpy
Even folks in the comment section were transfixed by his dashing looks and grumpy old man eyebrows.
—
Tj MacIas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Jan. 2025
Coaches will tell you of a character who could be grumpy or stubborn, but also of someone who needed faith shown in him.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Are American critics just grumpier than their English counterparts?
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Marine biologists described the Red Sea’s grumpy dwarfgoby, and a team of 127 coleopterists described 153 new species of beetles from China.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grumpy
Tj MacIas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Jan. 2025
Coaches will tell you of a character who could be grumpy or stubborn, but also of someone who needed faith shown in him.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Are American critics just grumpier than their English counterparts?
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Marine biologists described the Red Sea’s grumpy dwarfgoby, and a team of 127 coleopterists described 153 new species of beetles from China.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grumpy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grumpy
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 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
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The fans who booed last week at Gillette Stadium seemed more grouchy than outraged.—
Steve Buckley,
The Athletic,
2 Jan. 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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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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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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Several House Democrats were already dissatisfied with the way social equity protections had played out for marijuana and shared Johnson’s concerns about the impact on small businesses.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2025
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Sixty-nine percent of people were dissatisfied with the way income and wealth are distributed, and 72% of people were dissatisfied with the size and influence of major corporations.—
Cory Smith,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grumpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grumpy. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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