grumpy
Americanadjective
-
grumpier,
comparative
-
grumpiest
superlative
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of grumpy
1770–80; grump expressive word, first attested in the phrase humps and grumps slights and snubs + -y 1
Explanation
When your friend suggests a restaurant but you’re in a bad mood so you say “That’s a stupid restaurant” — even though you don’t really mind it — then you’re being grumpy, meaning irritable or grouchy. There are all kinds of reasons for feeling grumpy: maybe you’re tired or annoyed or you have a headache. Whatever the cause, when you’re grumpy you just want to sulk in a corner. Even though it’s a negative word, it’s a pretty gentle one. When you're grumpy, you’re not mad or mean — you’re just unpleasant for the moment. But don’t tell someone who’s grumpy that he's being grumpy . . . He likely won’t respond kindly to that.
Vocabulary lists containing grumpy
"Dr. Seuss" by Jill Foran
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Shiloh
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for November 26–December 2, 2022
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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:
Is he as grumpy and as irascible as he was in the first season?
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Please note that the entry-level Model Y retains the previous, grumpy catfish face, for the sullen ichthyologist in your life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
If people see you not smiling you're not grumpy!
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
He was trained by colorful and often grumpy Mel Stute, who was, like Shoemaker, a fixture at Santa Anita.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2026
I think of the grumpy woman with the tight bun.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
They aren't as social as their alpine counterparts, Blumstein said, and the female marmots get grumpier as they age.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
But French fans, despite their tricolore turnouts up and down the East Coast, became even grumpier during their win over Iraq after enduring a lengthy delay and biblical downpour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
No matter what the outcome is, all of us who would rather not be subjected to this dumpster will be left feeling a few smudges grumpier.
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2022
As the day goes on, he gets grumpier and more critical of my daughter’s every move, which is not in line at all with my patient and encouraging parenting style.
From Slate ● May 10, 2021
Professor Treebaun walked in a moment later, looking decidedly grumpier than usual at being called in so early to monitor a test he’d watched me fail less than twenty-four hours ago.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Five young Pallas's cats, dubbed the world's grumpiest feline for their sullen facial expressions, went on display at a zoo in Japan on Thursday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
"He wouldn’t put his name on the list for a nursing home knowing nobody would take the cat, who has the grumpiest meow I've ever heard."
From Fox News ● Jan. 11, 2022
No’mani plays Amir as the grumpiest of the quartet, but he’s a winning grump.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 18, 2019
John seemed the grumpiest of men, but in key ways he was an optimist.
From New York Times ● Jun. 29, 2018
Even the grumpiest and sleepiest of the men stood up straight.
From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
