grumpy

Or grump·ish

[gruhm-pee]

adjective

grumpier, grumpiest 

1. surly or ill-tempered; discontentedly or sullenly irritable; grouchy.

grumpy

/ ˈɡrʌmpɪ /

adjective

1. Also: grumpish. peevish; sulky

Other Word Forms

• grumpily adverb
• grumpiness noun
• ungrumpy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of grumpy¹

1770–80; grump expressive word, first attested in the phrase humps and grumps slights and snubs + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of grumpy¹

C18: from _grump + _-y ¹

Example Sentences

But for quite a while there, such efforts seemed almost entirely ineffectual and easily mockable: Scared, grumpy left-behinders yelling at the diverse metropolitan types of Obama-era America to get off their lawn.

From Salon

She also said it was "gorgeous" to see the bond growing between Elliott and his "grumpy".

From BBC

He seems grumpy, like he’s not entirely happy to be here.

From Los Angeles Times

A decade later, he was nominated for a Bafta for his role as the grumpy husband of a dying woman in A Song for Marion.

From BBC

"For me, he was a grumpy old dad who you had your run-ins with every now and then," he says, smiling.

From BBC

Related Words

• cantankerous 
• crotchety 
• grouchy 
• irritable 
• sullen 
• surly 
• testy