Dictionary.com

grumpy

or grump·ish

[ gruhm-pee ]
/ ˈgrʌm pi /
Save This Word!

adjective, grump·i·er, grump·i·est.
surly or ill-tempered; discontentedly or sullenly irritable; grouchy.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

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. 2023

How to use grumpy in a sentence

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
FEEDBACK