ill-natured

adjective

ˈil-ˈnā-chərd How to pronounce ill-natured (audio)
Definition of ill-naturednext
as in irritable
having or showing a habitually bad temper an ill-natured and unpleasant old horse that sometimes bites

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-natured
  1. irritable
  2. angry
  3. disagreeable
  4. cantankerous
  5. bilious
  6. splenetic
  7. ornery
  8. acid
Adjective
  • Even if a more irritable side of her personality has emerged, there’s no excuse for cruelty.
    R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024
  • In worst-case scenarios, pain can cause a dog to be more irritable and aggressive, like if a human had a severe headache and couldn't tolerate social interaction, Enomoto said.
    Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 8 Nov. 2024
Definition of irritable
Adjective
  • Early this year, the company had a PR problem as angry customers raged online about higher menu prices.
    Allison Morrow, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024
  • Advertisement When questioned about the next day’s testimony, Netanyahu became visibly angry.
    Tia Goldenberg, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Definition of angry
Adjective
  • Rufo should know this, at which point someone who caucuses with the right should be pleased to keep his own, frequently laudatory views (there’s much that’s disagreeable about DEI, ESG and other acronyms) separate from government force at all levels.
    John Tamny, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
  • Some repel deer with a disagreeable taste, such as hot pepper.
    Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Nov. 2024
Definition of disagreeable
Adjective
  • The endearing homecoming introduces new characters including Moni (Hualalai Chung), a passionate island bard; Loto (Rose Matafeo), a quirky shipwright; Kele (David Fane), a cantankerous farmer; and Simea (Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda), Moana’s tenacious younger sister.
    Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Nov. 2024
  • Pic directed by Christopher Andrews, who is making his feature directing debut, follows Michael (Abbott) who is the last son of a farming family, and lives an isolated existence with his ailing, cantankerous father Ray.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 20 Nov. 2024
Definition of cantankerous
Adjective
  • Not altogether surprising because the proliferation of guns and incendiary political rhetoric over the past few decades — and especially the last few bilious years — made the shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pa., seemingly just a matter of time.
    Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2024
  • The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) Rampant exposure to this movie on cable suggests that Scorsese’s bilious portrait of Jordan Belfort may soon join GoodFellas as one of the director’s most intensely rewatchable efforts.
    Will Leitch, Vulture, 8 Mar. 2024
Definition of bilious
Adjective
  • And while there is enough splenetic wit and manic detail to generate obsessive fandom (entire sections of Web sites are dedicated to deciphering just what Kenny is mumbling), subjects like alien abduction, genetic engineering, and Kathie Lee are hardly original targets for satire.
    Chris Norris, SPIN, 13 Aug. 2022
  • Meanwhile, the commentator and controversialist Piers Morgan, an obsessively close observer and relentless critic of Meghan, inevitably waded in with his usual splenetic views.
    Sarah Lyall, New York Times, 17 Sep. 2022
Definition of splenetic
Adjective
  • The toy comes to life, fends off some ornery mice with his sword and leads Clara through a wintry dreamworld of dancing Christmas treats.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Dec. 2024
  • Throughout the movie, the ornery Scrooge (played by George C. Scott) is visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future.
    Olatunji Osho-Williams, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2024
Definition of ornery
Adjective
  • Now, there’s thriving wetlands, a hemlock forest and trout stream, all made possible by a limestone retention pond the school built to naturally filter and clean the acid mine drainage.
    Chris Papst, Baltimore Sun, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Faisal Halim, who plays as a winger for the national team and Malaysian club Selangor, was hospitalized with fourth-degree burns following an acid attack by two assailants at a shopping mall on Sunday.
    San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2024
Definition of acid
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near ill-natured

ill-mannered

ill-natured

ill-naturedly

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Cite this Entry

“Ill-natured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-natured. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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