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Synonyms

crotchety

American  
[kroch-i-tee] / ˈkrɒtʃ ɪ ti /

adjective

  1. given to odd notions, whims, grouchiness, etc.

    Synonyms:
    grouchy, eccentric, fussy

  2. of the nature of a crotchet.

crotchety British  
/ ˈkrɒtʃɪtɪ /

adjective

  1. informal cross; irritable; contrary

  2. full of crotchets

"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

Other Word Forms

  • crotchetiness noun

Etymology

Origin of crotchety

First recorded in 1815–25; crotchet + -y 1

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 show, “Extremely Inappropriate!,” features a foul-talking, crotchety physical education teacher and widowed father who boards a public bus in 1986 Japan and finds himself whisked to 2024.

From New York Times • May 29, 2024

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

Flora grows more forlorn with her husband’s every crotchety reply.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2023

I’m not going to when some crotchety old Mrs. Winstead does it.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

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.