adjective
-
informal cross; irritable; contrary
-
full of crotchets
Other Word Forms
- crotchetiness noun
Etymology
Origin of crotchety
Explanation
The adjective crotchety describes someone who's difficult, irritable, and ornery. If you're crotchety, you complain and argue and are more or less miserable to be around. Crotchety is most often used when talking about older people, like the crotchety old man who sits on his porch and yells at you to slow down when you drive by. Sometimes crotchety people take pleasure in bothering others or complaining. Crotchety derives from the word crotchet, meaning "whim or fancy," and crotchety people do seem subject to whims — you might not know exactly why they're irritable, but you definitely know they're crotchety.
Vocabulary lists containing crotchety
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Walk Two Moons
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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 place where everyone knows everyone else and might find stuck-in-their-ways folks like Harry to be charming or crotchety.
From Salon • Feb. 6, 2025
The Grumpy Café may not sound like the friendliest place to grab a coffee but inside the large, warm meeting place in the centre of Hastings, the atmosphere is anything but crotchety.
From BBC • Oct. 19, 2023
Actor Carroll O’Connor was just 47 when he began playing the crotchety Archie Bunker on TV’s “All in the Family” in 1971.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2023
“Being known for being the crotchety old sports and weather guy was not on the list,” he said, “but it is what it is.”
From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2022
Taylor is perfectly earnest, and Martin is perfectly crotchety, and Abby is so lively and funny that it’s almost like our conversation in the dressing room never happened.
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
Definitions 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.
