grumpy

or grump·ish

[ gruhm-pee ]

/ ˈgrʌm pi /

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adjective, grump·i·er, grump·i·est.

surly or ill-tempered; discontentedly or sullenly irritable; grouchy.

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Origin of grumpy

1770–80; grump expressive word, first attested in the phrase humps and grumps slights and snubs + -y¹

OTHER WORDS FROM grumpy

grump·i·ly, adverbgrump·i·ness, nounun·grump·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use grumpy in a sentence

Cue fake dating for Instagram likes and adorable caretaking between a grumpy former athlete and a PhD student.
Best romance novels of 2020|Sarah Wendell|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
"Gie's my socks," he ordered grumpily, flinging Robert's socks into the far corner of the kitchen.
The Underworld|James C. Welsh
More thorough than there was need for, said Farnum, grumpily.
The Radio Boys Rescue the Lost Alaska Expedition|Gerald Breckenridge
"The smell o' treasure warps my judgment," grumpily confessed Trimble Rogers.
Blackbeard: Buccaneer|Ralph D. Paine

Hutchinson sat down rather grumpily, and Mrs. Bowse and Little Ann went down the stairs together.
T. Tembarom|Frances Hodgson Burnett
"I wish I had a couple of nice little poets here to feed the children with," said he, grumpily.
The Pond|Carl Ewald

British Dictionary definitions for grumpy

grumpy

/ (ˈɡrʌmpɪ) /

adjective grumpier or grumpiest

peevish; sulkyAlso: grumpish

Derived forms of grumpy

grumpily or grumpishly, adverbgrumpiness or grumpishness, noun

Word Origin for grumpy

C18: from grump + -y 1

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

grumpy

or grump·ish

Origin of grumpy

OTHER WORDS FROM grumpy

Words related to grumpy

How to use grumpy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for grumpy

Derived forms of grumpy

Word Origin for grumpy