ornery
adjective
ugly and unpleasant in disposition or temper.
orneriness
-
a word derived from
ornery.
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.
Underneath Bill’s orneriness and Tina’s neuroses, one glimpses two aging actors confronting their own mortality with touching candor.
From New York Times ● Nov. 10, 2022
“And if I were a betting person, which naturally I kind of am, I would bet on American orneriness and refusal to line up,” she added.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 14, 2020
Amid all of the orneriness, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau generated their usual backhanded warmth, and the piece remains fondly remembered enough to make it ripe for movie-to-musical treatment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2019
He’s a bit of a curmudgeon, and his show has a welcome orneriness that you don’t usually find in soothing cooking series.
From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2018
He had an orneriness year-round, but especially in the summer, when he worked his peach orchards daylight to dusk.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
