cantankerous
Americanadjective
adjective
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Other Word Forms
- cantankerously adverb
- cantankerousness noun
Etymology
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
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.
The soccer team’s place in the Premier League standings had the typically cantankerous rock star in a great mood, and that held when talk turned to his ongoing reunion tour.
From Salon
Whether the subject was toys, fish or a cantankerous old man, the Emeryville-based computer animation studio churned out hit after hit.
From Los Angeles Times
Known for his cantankerous, no-nonsense business dealings and his "you're fired/hired" catchphrase, Lord Sugar insists his on-screen persona is how he is in real life.
From BBC
A foreign policy insider told me: "It might come at a price, but it is in our interest for him to be a success, not be cantankerous."
From BBC
With a gimlet eye and a surprisingly girlish laugh, Vera is cantankerous, impatient, intensely private, unapologetically disheveled and utterly glorious.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
