curmudgeon

American  

[ker-muhj-uhn] / kərˈmʌdʒ ən /

noun

• curmudgeons
  plural

1. a bad-tempered, difficult, cantankerous person.

   Synonyms:

   crosspatch, kvetch, sourpuss, bear, crank, grump, grouch

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curmudgeon British  

/ kɜːˈmʌdʒən /

noun

1. a surly or miserly person

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• curmudgeonly
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• curmudgeons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of curmudgeon

First recorded in 1570–80; unexplained; perhaps cur-, representing cur

Explanation

Old, cranky, and more than a little stubborn, a curmudgeon is the gruff, grey-haired neighbor who refuses to hand out candy at Halloween and shoos away holiday carolers with a "bah humbug!" As fickle and stubborn as the type of person it describes, curmudgeon comes to us without a history, its origins undisclosed. It was originally believed to have come from coeur mechant, the French phrase for “evil heart,” but that theory has been long discarded. Don't worry though, you’ll know a curmudgeon when you see one: He’ll be ill-tempered and miserly, eager to shake his fist and spout disagreeable opinions.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

curmudgeon curmudgeons

Two days later, she told POLITICO’s Irie Sentner that it was her “favorite holiday” while admitting, “I’m kind of a curmudgeon when it comes to holidays in general.”

From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026

Adams was a balding curmudgeon from Massachusetts—brainy, argumentative and physically ill-favored.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

The effect, Hackford says, was transformative: “Suddenly, he was the dour, dogged, disheveled curmudgeon I’d envisioned.”

From Salon ● Mar. 23, 2025

I’m just a girl charmed by his curmudgeon demeanor and annoyance for everything.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2025

Dad says his uncle was a charming curmudgeon, which I think means grumpy with some niceness thrown in.

From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate

Tilda Swinton — “The Room Next Door” “Movies often put misanthropes on center stage, but usually the sharp edges of these curmudgeons are sanded down. Not so with Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Mike Leigh’s ‘Hard Truths.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2024

Some of the greatest players Scotland has ever produced also happened to be world class curmudgeons.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2023

Throw in an actor as likable as Hanks — back to form after uneven performances in “Elvis” and “Pinocchio” — and even the curmudgeons should be won over.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 4, 2023

"Even the curmudgeons are excited about it," said Calgary Chamber of Commerce CEO Deborah Yedlin.

From Reuters ● Jul. 6, 2022

“Show attendance will continue declining, and, with it, my profit margins. On top of that, the Kuhani and his committee of curmudgeons have denied my request for financial aid...”

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray