grouchy
adjective
sullenly discontented; sulky; morose; ill-tempered.
grouchy
1 American
[grou-chee]
/ ˈgraʊ tʃi /
adjective
-
grouchier,
comparative
-
grouchiest
superlative
Grouchy
2
American
[gr oo-shee]
/ gruˈʃi /
noun
grouchy
British
/ ˈɡraʊtʃɪ /
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of grouchy
Explanation
Are you feeling cranky or irritable and complaining about every little thing that annoys you? You're grouchy. Someone who's grouchy is easily irritated, like the grouchy bus driver who yells for everyone to sit down and be quiet, or your grouchy brother, who grumbles about what's being served for dinner — or the notoriously grouchy Oscar the Grouch from "Sesame Street." Grouchy was college slang in the late 1800s, along with expressions like "to have a grouch on." The root might be grutch, "to complain or find fault with."
Vocabulary lists containing grouchy
Irritable, List 2
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Irritable, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
“I loved the fact that there was humor, and self-deprecating humor and a grouchy character,” says Chandler.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
In the A.I. age, Maggie Hennessy asserts, sparring with a grouchy maître d’ over the phone is part of what makes dining out great.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
I do my own taxes, so I’m my own grouchy accountant, barking at myself to unearth various forms.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 17, 2026
That Utah rideshare driver, however, was justifiable more grouchy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026
“The grouchy woman went to the village today,” said Jonas.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
If you’re grouchy about it, I’m with you on Grouchy Island.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Grouchy and gracious — you all matter to me.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 21, 2022
"Grouchy old guy with the heart of gold," is not a particularly daunting role, but somehow Jones missed the mark.
From Golf Digest ● Mar. 29, 2018
Grouchy got his name as he used to have a dog with the same moniker.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 5, 2016
Grouchy, moreover, could not know that Wellington would offer battle in front of the forest of Soignes—a resolution which, in the opinion of Napoleon and many lesser experts, was a serious blunder.
From The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte Vol. IV. (of IV.) by William Milligan Sloane
Some surveys showed that mentioning it made voters grouchier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2023
Part of me was delighted by the intimacy and naturalness of these revelations, but a grouchier part was kind of like, “Hey, did I ask for your whole life story?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2019
But when the Democratic Party's leading presidential hopeful visits Florida this week, he's likely to hear a grouchier refrain, something along the lines of, "It's about time!"
From Time Magazine Archive
Anderson gets even grouchier when dealing with his fellow critics, who have been "emotional collaborators" in all this madness.
From Time Magazine Archive
He gave the boy’s aunt more paperwork to fill out and gestured for her to sit in the waiting room, which only made her grouchier yet.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
A little natural vitamin D can bring a sunny disposition to even the grouchiest of curmudgeons.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2021
Or perhaps Han bought the galaxy’s grouchiest food-preparation droid, who turned out to have glitchy programming anyway.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 5, 2016
He has most recently been in charge of mollifying the grouchiest of constituencies, New York City subway riders, while also raising their fares.
From New York Times ● Dec. 20, 2012
Director Matsumoto, a reigning comic on Japanese TV, manages a balance of farce and impending tragedy that would win the approval of the grouchiest child.
From Time ● Jul. 6, 2012
I would equip myself to be able to entertain the grouchiest, most blasé people.
From 21 by Frank Crane
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.
