crabby

American  

[krab-ee] / ˈkræb i /

adjective

crabbier, crabbiest

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

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crabby British  

/ ˈkræbɪ /

adjective

1. bad-tempered

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• crabbily
  adverb
• crabbiness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of crabby

First recorded in 1540–50; crab ³ + -y ¹

Explanation

If you're in a really bad or irritable mood, you can say you're crabby. Loud talking and laughing during a movie might make you crabby. Some unpleasant, bad-tempered people seem to be crabby all the time, while others just become crabby when they're stuck in rush hour traffic. You might decide that the sound of kids yelling and laughing makes you too crabby to be a good elementary school teacher. The original, 16th century meaning of crabby was "crooked" or "rough," with the "cranky" meaning arising in the United States around 1776.