crabbed
Americanadjective
-
grouchy; ill-natured; irritable; churlish.
- Synonyms:
- cantankerous, peevish, cross
-
hard to understand; intricate and obscure.
-
difficult to read or decipher, as handwriting.
adjective
-
surly; irritable; perverse
-
(esp of handwriting) cramped and hard to decipher
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of crabbed
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at crab 3, -ed 3
Explanation
If your friend fell out of bed, spilled hot tea on his socks, and tripped in the snow, you might expect him to be crabbed. Crabbed describes someone who is grumpy, or irritable, or has a generally crotchety attitude. The word crabbed originally meant “resembling a crab” and also takes part of its meaning from the sour-tasting crab apple. You can think of crabbed as describing what someone would be like if they were made into a crab. The word is used less often than its synonym crabby, but the meaning of crabbed is just as easy to understand: if you were covered in sand all day, you’d probably feel crabbed too!
Vocabulary lists containing crabbed
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Selected Short Stories of Flannery O'Connor
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Secret Garden
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
This is a crabbed and mendacious interpretation of the law.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2024
It’s also a crabbed view of the group’s statutory authority to “prescribe general rules of practice and procedure … in the United States district courts.”
From Slate ● Mar. 20, 2024
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
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
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
