dyspeptic
Americanadjective
-
pertaining to, subject to, or suffering from dyspepsia.
-
gloomy, pessimistic, and irritable.
noun
adjective
-
relating to or suffering from dyspepsia
-
irritable
noun
Other Word Forms
- dyspeptically adverb
- nondyspeptic adjective
- nondyspeptical adjective
- nondyspeptically adverb
Etymology
Origin of dyspeptic
1685–95; dys- + Greek peptikós pertaining to digestion, equivalent to pept ( ós ) digested ( pep- cook, digest + -tos past participle suffix) + -ikos -ic
Explanation
Dyspeptic is an old-fashioned word not often used anymore. It describes someone who is irritable due to depression or indigestion. Nowadays we separate people who are depressed from people who are cranky because of indigestion, but dyspeptic rolls both these conditions into one ball of fun. A common dyspeptic type would be an old man shouting "Get off my lawn!" to kids playing on the street.
Vocabulary lists containing dyspeptic
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: dys
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47 Great Words from "The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," by Junot Diaz
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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.
Fern had a punchy writing style and ability to dash off whimsical riffs on un-newsy topics such as home decor, dyspeptic shopkeepers and bedtime stories.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026
He, of course, is Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Joaquin Phoenix with a bicorn hat, a dyspeptic grimace and an unshakable air of post-“Joker,” post-“Beau Is Afraid” tragic clownery.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2023
His characteristically dyspeptic interview in the Wall Street Journal trivializes the intelligence and individuality of Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson for no apparent reason beyond petty resentment.
From Slate • Jul. 31, 2023
Few actors, if any, have marched onto a sitcom juggernaut and in a few minutes of sublime, dyspeptic, no-nonsense nonsense made such an enduring impression as Philip Baker Hall did.
From Washington Post • Jun. 14, 2022
All around me was the vomit of a dyspeptic ship.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
