crabbed

American  

[krab-id, krabd] / ˈkræb ɪd, kræbd /

adjective

1. grouchy; ill-natured; irritable; churlish.

   Synonyms:

   cantankerous, peevish, cross

2. perverse; contrary; obstinate.

3. hard to understand; intricate and obscure.

4. difficult to read or decipher, as handwriting.

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crabbed British  

/ ˈkræbɪd /

adjective

1. surly; irritable; perverse

2. (esp of handwriting) cramped and hard to decipher

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Other Word Forms

• crabbedly adverb
• crabbedness noun

Etymology

Origin of crabbed

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; crab ³, -ed ³

Example Sentences

She also shaved her head — all to add authenticity as her queen evolved from youth to crabbed old age.

From New York Times • Jun. 15, 2023

Such a crabbed view goes against how art is often created — spontaneously, with improvisation and serendipity.

From Washington Post • Apr. 27, 2023

The real issue raised by this new crabbed system of historical reasoning is the intellectual stance, temperament, and habits lawyers, judges, and legislators should bring to the task of historical, analogical reasoning.

From Slate • Feb. 15, 2023

This is a truly crabbed and reductive view of the man and his work.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2021

No solid contour was certain, but all devolved with the evening into one crabbed mass, gnarled and dark beneath the moon.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson