cantankerous

[ kan-tang-ker-uhs ]

See synonyms for cantankerous on Thesaurus.com

adjective

disagreeable to deal with; contentious; peevish: a cantankerous, argumentative man.

Origin of cantankerous

First recorded in 1765–75; origin uncertain; earlier contankerous, perhaps derivation of Middle English contack, conteck “quarrel, contention,” from Anglo-French contek, formed on the models of contentious, rancorous

Other words from cantankerous

can·tan·ker·ous·ly, adverb
can·tan·ker·ous·ness, noun

Words Nearby cantankerous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cantankerous in a sentence

To Chicago he was still two-fisted, hard-drinking, cantankerous.
The Stacks: John Schulian’s Classic Profile of Newspaper Columnist Mike Royko | John Schulian | January 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I still remember how disappointed I was by this cantankerous book.
The Smartest Book About Our Digital Age Was Published in 1929 | Ted Gioia | January 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
First up, a classic profile of the cantankerous but lovable Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko.
The Stacks: John Schulian’s Classic Profile of Newspaper Columnist Mike Royko | John Schulian | January 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The most dangerous animal to encounter when walking, I discovered, is not a lion but a cantankerous male buffalo.
Walking With Wildebeests: Exploring the Serengeti on Foot | Joanna Eede | July 9, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was ugly, cantankerous, simple enough for any farmhand to understand and fix, and indomitable.
The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Henry Ford | Richard Snow | May 14, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

As a rule even the most cantankerous women are placable after afternoon tea.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3) | Charles James Wills
It's no wonder he drinks, hitched up to a cantankerous old hyena like that.
Quin | Alice Hegan Rice
Some of the men I have to deal with are as bat-blind as they are cantankerous.
That Lass O' Lowrie's | Frances Hodgson Burnett
Every one recognises that cantankerous obstructiveness would only make matters worse, nay, absolutely intolerable.
America To-day, Observations and Reflections | William Archer
I turned away to pay off my taxi, the driver of which was very cantankerous and abusive over his fare.
The Poison Belt | Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for cantankerous

cantankerous

/ (kænˈtæŋkərəs) /

adjective

quarrelsome; irascible

Origin of cantankerous

C18: perhaps from C14 (obsolete) conteckour a contentious person, from conteck strife, from Anglo-French contek, of obscure origin

Derived forms of cantankerous

cantankerously, adverb
cantankerousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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