cranky
1ill-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.
Origin of cranky
1Other words for cranky
Other words from cranky
- crank·i·ly, adverb
- crank·i·ness, noun
Words Nearby cranky
Other definitions for cranky (2 of 2)
Origin of cranky
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cranky in a sentence
I should probably tell you the name of this situationally cranky man.
If you find a cranky spot, add pressure, but don’t go overboard—too much force can cause the muscle to contract.
Philip had grown cranky by the press frenzy surrounding the romance.
Prince Philip, royal consort to Queen Elizabeth II, dies at 99 | Adrian Higgins | April 9, 2021 | Washington PostWithout good-quality sleep, those critical activities don’t take place, and as a consequence, we don’t just feel tired and cranky, but the processes that lead to certain diseases may even get seeded.
‘A Rinsing of the Brain.’ New Research Shows How Sleep Could Ward Off Alzheimer's Disease | Alice Park | August 6, 2020 | TimeTo think that it once took only a single cranky shark to scare the entire country.
My Time on the Set of 'Jaws,' or How to Get a Photo of a Frickin' Mechanical Shark | Tom Shales | August 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
After a day-long drive with three young children, we emerged from our minivan cramped, cranky, and dusty with junk food.
Disney World Means Everything to a Special Needs Mom | Elizabeth Picciuto | July 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEven today—contrary to cranky public opinion—the political influence of multigenerational families is weak and getting weaker.
They seem, in fact, like cranky, petulant children, coked to the gills.
Stacks: Hitting the Note with the Allman Brothers Band | Grover Lewis | March 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn a din of cranky, snarky, jaded, and occasionally even lazy late-night talk show hosts, he radiates pure joy.
I fancy he finds it rather dull with only a cranky old man and a half-crazy woman for associates.
The Cromptons | Mary J. HolmesWho Howard was, or the cranky old man and half-crazy woman, Eloise had no idea, nor did she give them a thought.
The Cromptons | Mary J. HolmesTrue, the equipment was old and cranky, much of it haywired together, much of it invented from scratch.
Security | Poul William AndersonThe gum king of the Moosehead region is a rather cranky old chap, who has been at the business ever since he was a youth.
Motor Matt's Peril, or, Cast Away in the Bahamas | Stanley R. MatthewsThey have to study and take care of cranky sick folks for three whole years before they can wear those white clothes.
Dorothy | Evelyn Raymond
British Dictionary definitions for cranky (1 of 2)
/ (ˈkræŋkɪ) /
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, adverb
- crankiness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for cranky (2 of 2)
/ (ˈkræŋkɪ) /
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
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