curmudgeonly
Americanadjective
adverb
Etymology
Origin of curmudgeonly
Explanation
When you're curmudgeonly, you come across as very grumpy and unfriendly. A curmudgeonly teacher answers students' questions in a cranky and inapproachable way. Waiting in a long, curmudgeonly line isn't much fun, since everyone around you seems irritable. Your own curmudgeonly mood might cause you to snap at your friends and complain about the weather, despite the fact that it's a beautiful day. The origin of the related noun curmudgeon is a mystery, although some experts guess at a connection to cur, or "dog."
Vocabulary lists containing curmudgeonly
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Two curmudgeonly old rivals are marching toward a showdown that a lot of people really wish wasn’t happening.
From New York Times • Jan. 31, 2024
A curmudgeonly teacher at an exclusive boys' school in the 1970s reluctantly finds himself having to look after a group of students who aren't able to return home for the holidays.
From BBC • Dec. 24, 2023
In his trademark curmudgeonly style, Munger advised investors to take stakes in a relative handful of great companies and then “just sit on your ass.”
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 28, 2023
Thousands of Berkshire shareholders will remember the curmudgeonly quips Munger offered while answering questions alongside Buffett at the annual meetings.
From Washington Times • Nov. 28, 2023
The reporters assumed that Smith was just being curmudgeonly, but there was likely more to it than that.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
