ill-natured

American  

[il-ney-cherd] / ˈɪlˈneɪ tʃərd /

adjective

1. having or showing an unkindly or unpleasant disposition.

   Synonyms:

   sour, gloomy, morose, sulky, petulant, cranky

   Antonyms:

   amiable, kindly

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ill-natured British  

adjective

1. naturally unpleasant and mean

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Related Words

See cross.

Other Word Forms

• ill-naturedly adverb
• ill-naturedness noun

Etymology

Origin of ill-natured

First recorded in 1625–35

Example Sentences

Another paper put it this way: “An old maid is one of the most cranky, ill-natured, maggoty, peevish, conceited, disagreeable, hypocritical, fretful, noisy, gibing, canting, censorious, out-of-the-way, never-to-be-pleased, good-for-nothing creatures.”

From New York Times

That still can’t be said of all tennis tournaments, but despite some ill-natured male grousing recently, equal pay is still the rule at the United States Open, at least.

From New York Times

“While we’ve had the experience of hearing, seeing or being touched, a family lives here. There is nothing ill-natured here.”

From Washington Times

Catching us wondering how Mr Palmer in Sense and Sensibility, an intelligent but ill-natured man, could possibly have married a woman as idiotic as Charlotte Jennings, Austen lets Elinor reflect on the puzzle.

From The Guardian

Sylvia’s chief friend was Phyllis Markham—the twins were only fourteen—and the two of them headed a society for toleration, which was designed to contend with stupid and ill-natured criticism.

From Project Gutenberg