ornery

[ awr-nuh-ree ]

/ ˈɔr nə ri /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ornery ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, or·ner·i·er, or·ner·i·est. Dialect.

ugly and unpleasant in disposition or temper: No one can get along with my ornery cousin.

stubborn: I can't do a thing with that ornery mule.

low or vile.

inferior or common; ordinary.

Nearby words

ornamentation, ornamented, ornate, ornately, orne, ornery, ornis, ornith-, ornith., ornithic, ornithine

Origin of ornery

First recorded in 1790–1800; contraction of ordinary

SYNONYMS FOR ornery

1 mean, ill-tempered, ill-natured, surly, testy.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ornery ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsor·ner·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ornery

The characters you play on the show are extremely diverse—ranging from a cocaine-rattled rich boy to an ornery Jewish grandpa.
The Zany Shades of Nick Kroll|Abby Haglage|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The budding relationship between the ornery sexagenarian and the precocious young child ultimately gives the film its momentum.
Meet Vincent McKenna, Your New Favorite Bill Murray Character|Alex Suskind|September 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He's an ornery cuss kind of Republican, extremely critical of Bush and Cheney back in the day.
Rice Out? And Hagel to Defense?|Michael Tomasky|December 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Conard, the ornery lone researcher and writer, demands more of himself.
David's Book Club: Unintended Consequences|David Frum|July 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST

She was irritable and ornery almost all of the time, and she seemed to be trying to distance herself from the others.
Inside Tania Head’s Terrible 9/11 Lie: ‘The Woman Who Wasn’t There’|Robin Gaby Fisher, Angelo J. Guglielmo, Jr.|April 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
And Ill bet that the devil, just to be ornery, will wait until the last hour of the four days.
The Black Star|Johnston McCulley
They're little an' young an' they ain't never done nothin' ornery.
The Gold Girl|James B. Hendryx
"That's an ornery--looking bronc," went on Belllounds, and he reached with careless hand for the mustang.
The Mysterious Rider|Zane Grey
But that ain't saying that somebody's ornery critter won't harm him.
Green Valley|Katharine Reynolds
Im an ornery, no-count cowboy with no one in this hull world to know or care what becomes o me.
Langford of the Three Bars|Kate Boyles

British Dictionary definitions for ornery

ornery

/ (ˈɔːnərɪ) /

adjective US and Canadian dialect, or informal

stubborn or vile-tempered

low; treacherousan ornery trick

ordinary

Derived Formsorneriness, noun

Word Origin for ornery

C19: alteration of ordinary

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

Word Origin and History for ornery

ornery

adj.

1816, American English dialectal contraction of ordinary (adj.). "Commonplace," hence "of poor quality, coarse, ugly." By c.1860 the sense had evolved to "mean, cantankerous." Related: Orneriness.

ornery

adjective, or·ner·i·er, or·ner·i·est. Dialect.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of ornery

Examples from the Web for ornery

British Dictionary definitions for ornery

ornery

adjective US and Canadian dialect, or informal

Word Origin for ornery

Word Origin and History for ornery

ornery