Dictionary.com

cranky

1
[ krang-kee ]
/ ˈkræŋ ki /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR cranky ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, crank·i·er, crank·i·est.

ill-tempered; grouchy; cross: I'm always cranky when I don't get enough sleep.
eccentric; queer.
shaky; unsteady; out of order.
full of bends or windings; crooked.
British Dialect. sickly; in unsound or feeble condition; infirm.

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Origin of cranky

1
First recorded in 1780–90; crank1 + -y1

OTHER WORDS FROM cranky

crank·i·ly, adverbcrank·i·ness, noun

Definition for cranky (2 of 2)

cranky2
[ krang-kee ]
/ ˈkræŋ ki /

adjective Nautical.

crank2 (def. 1).

Origin of cranky

2
First recorded in 1835–45; crank2 + -y1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to cranky

grouchy, cantankerous, ornery, ugly, irritable, grumpy, irascible, choleric, crabby, cross, crotchety, disagreeable, hot-tempered, mean, out of sorts, perverse, quick-tempered, ratty, snappish, tetchy

Example sentences from the Web for cranky

British Dictionary definitions for cranky (1 of 2)

cranky1
/ (ˈkræŋkɪ) /

adjective crankier or crankiest

informal eccentric
mainly US, Canadian and Irish informal fussy and bad-tempered
shaky; out of order
full of bends and turns
dialect unwell

Derived forms of cranky

crankily, adverbcrankiness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for cranky (2 of 2)

cranky2
/ (ˈkræŋkɪ) /

adjective crankier or crankiest

nautical another word for crank 2
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