curmudgeon

American  

[ker-muhj-uhn] / kərˈmʌdʒ ən /

noun

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

• curmudgeonly adjective

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

Duvall drew on his inner curmudgeon throughout his career.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

Oscar nominations landed Thursday morning and you’d really have to be a curmudgeon to complain, what with the year’s two best films, “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners,” hauling in the most nods.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026

Christmas curmudgeon Walter is not on board, believing his son is a “certifiably insane” man living under the deranged delusion that he is an elf.

From Salon • Nov. 23, 2023

And instead of turning into a cantankerous curmudgeon lamenting the endless change in the worlds he worked — sports and newspapers — Stone embraced their evolution.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 1, 2023

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

From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate