crabby

[ krab-ee ]

/ ˈkræb i /

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See synonyms for: crabby / crabbier / crabbiest / crabbiness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, crab·bi·er, crab·bi·est.

Informal. grouchy; ill-natured; irritable; peevish.

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Origin of crabby

First recorded in 1540–50; crab³ + -y¹

OTHER WORDS FROM crabby

crab·bi·ly, adverbcrab·bi·ness, noun

Words nearby crabby

Crabb, Crabbe, crabbed, crabber, crabbing, crabby, crab cactus, crab canon, crabeater, crab grass, crab louse

How to use crabby in a sentence

The earliest crabs were very different from those alive today, and their appearance was “mostly something in between lobstery-looking and crabby-looking,” Luque says.
Entombed in amber, this tiny crab hails from the age of dinosaurs|Kate Baggaley|October 20, 2021|Popular-Science
When I was a Catholic school kid in the late 1960s and early ’70s, many of my teachers were joyful Franciscans, not the crabby, knuckle-rapping ones of earlier decades.
Why Nun Stories Are About to Become Your Next Pop-Culture Obsession|Stephanie Zacharek|September 2, 2021|Time
For us, this is Louis C.K. and his crabby, melancholic, and profanely funny half-hour comedy.
Why Is Louis C.K. So Funny? He Uses Humor as a Moral Compass.|Andrew Romano|May 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Never underestimate the power of “crabby snacks and homemades.”
Oscar Nominations Shockers: Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kathryn Bigelow & More|Marlow Stern|January 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Crabby American billionaires want their money back, writes John Avlon.
The Independent Rundown, November 11|Matthew DeLuca|November 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It makes kids crabby and compromises their ability to learn.
10 Back to School Resolutions for Parents|Madeline Levine|September 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Today, Nichol comes across as downright crabby when asked about the senator.
Edwards’s Life in Exile|Michelle Cottle|June 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST
There comes a time when a woman has to make up her mind to choose between being called a 'dear old soul' or a 'crabby old thing.'
Her Royal Highness Woman|Max O'Rell
Persius is crabby, because ancient, and his jerks (being particularly given to private customs of his time) dusky.
The Works of John Marston|John Marston
I entertained myself with keeping her to the subject, and that made her crabby.
Rene Mauperin|Edmond de Goncourt and Jules de Goncourt
Time was getting short, and it was no use wasting time on my crabby landlady.
My Friend Smith|Talbot Baines Reed
Accordingly the Hermit exerted himself to please, and it would really have taken more than three crabby boys to resist him.
A Little Bush Maid|Mary Grant Bruce

British Dictionary definitions for crabby

crabby

/ (ˈkræbɪ) /

adjective -bier or -biest

bad-tempered

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

crabby

Origin of crabby

OTHER WORDS FROM crabby

Words nearby crabby

Words related to crabby

How to use crabby in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for crabby