curmudgeon

[ker-muhj-uh n]

See more synonyms for curmudgeon on Thesaurus.com

noun

a bad-tempered, difficult, cantankerous person.

Origin of curmudgeon

1570–80; unexplained; perhaps cur- representing cur

Related formscur·mudg·eon·ly, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for curmudgeon on Thesaurus.com

grouch, crank, bear, sourpuss, crosspatch.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for curmudgeon

Contemporary Examples

Chris Messina did such great work this year making a curmudgeon charming on The Mindy Project.
Emmys 2014: Who Will and Who Should Be Nominated
Kevin Fallon
July 9, 2014
In person, Messina is a bit like Danny, minus the curmudgeon qualities.
Chris Messina Isn’t Just Dr. Castellano on ‘The Mindy Project’
Melissa Leon
April 25, 2014
I don't think he is a curmudgeon, I think he just likes challenging climatic conditions.
Running Commentary from the Jubilee Pageant
Tom Sykes
June 3, 2012
By the time of my last visit, about a year ago, Maurice had become almost as famous for being a curmudgeon as he was as an artist.
Maurice Sendak Is Remembered Fondly by Author and Filmmaker William Joyce
William Joyce
May 9, 2012

Historical Examples

Any scruples that he ever had on that score he had removed for himself by realizing that she was a curmudgeon.
Tristram of Blent
Anthony Hope
Degas is amiability itself compared with this curmudgeon of genius.
Unicorns
James Huneker
Not so bold, however, as the badger and not so much of a curmudgeon.
The Land of Little Rain
Mary Austin
And I marvelled at their intimacy, and wondered what that curmudgeon of a husband had to say to it!
Witching Hill
E. W. Hornung
I knowed the curmudgeon's voice, and I expect he knowed my hand, for he has felt it before.
Horse-Shoe Robinson
John Pendleton Kennedy

British Dictionary definitions for curmudgeon

curmudgeon

noun

a surly or miserly person

Derived Formscurmudgeonly, adjective

Word Origin

C16: of unknown origin

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

Word Origin and History for curmudgeon

n.

1570s, of unknown origin; the suggestion, based on a misreading of a garbled note from Johnson, that it is from French coeur mechant "evil heart" is not taken seriously; the first syllable may be cur "dog." Liberman says the word "must have been borrowed from Gaelic (and references muigean "disagreeable person"), with variant spelling of intensive prefix ker-. Related: Curmudgeonly.

curmudgeon

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}curmudgeon

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for curmudgeon

Contemporary Examples

Chris Messina did such great work this year making a curmudgeon charming on The Mindy Project.

In person, Messina is a bit like Danny, minus the curmudgeon qualities.

I don't think he is a curmudgeon, I think he just likes challenging climatic conditions.

By the time of my last visit, about a year ago, Maurice had become almost as famous for being a curmudgeon as he was as an artist.

Historical Examples

Any scruples that he ever had on that score he had removed for himself by realizing that she was a curmudgeon.

Degas is amiability itself compared with this curmudgeon of genius.

Not so bold, however, as the badger and not so much of a curmudgeon.

And I marvelled at their intimacy, and wondered what that curmudgeon of a husband had to say to it!

I knowed the curmudgeon's voice, and I expect he knowed my hand, for he has felt it before.

curmudgeon

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for curmudgeon

n.

Origin of curmudgeon