cantankerous
/kən'tæɳkərəs/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Bad-tempered and argumentative: Describes a person who is often angry, irritable, and ready to quarrel or complain.
- Difficult to deal with: Refers to someone who is stubbornly uncooperative and contrary.
Usage
- The word "cantankerous" is used to describe a person's habitual disposition or mood, not a temporary state. It implies a persistent, ingrained grumpiness and combativeness, often associated with age but not exclusively.
- It is a formal and somewhat literary term. In everyday speech, words like "grumpy" or "cranky" are more common.
Examples
- Adjective:
- The cantankerous old man yelled at the children to get off his lawn.
- Despite her wealth, she was known throughout the town for her cantankerous nature.
- Dealing with a cantankerous customer requires a great deal of patience.
Advanced Usage
- "to be in a cantankerous mood": To be temporarily exhibiting the irritable and argumentative behavior typical of a cantankerous person.
- He hadn't had his coffee and was in a particularly cantankerous mood.
Variants and Related Words
- Cantankerously (adverb): In a cantankerous manner.
- He replied cantankerously to every question.
- Cantankerousness (noun): The quality or state of being cantankerous.
- His cantankerousness made him few friends.
Synonyms
- Irascible: Easily angered.
- Quarrelsome: Likely to argue.
- Crusty: Abrupt or gruff in manner (can imply a harsh exterior hiding a softer interior, unlike "cantankerous").
- Peevish: Easily irritated, especially by unimportant things.
- Contrary: Perversely inclined to disagree or oppose.
Antonyms
- Amiable: Having a friendly and pleasant manner.
- Agreeable: Willing to agree or cooperate.
- Good-natured: Kind, tolerant, and not easily annoyed.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- While there is no common idiom using the exact word "cantankerous," the concept is often captured in phrases like:
- "A bear with a sore head": Someone who is very irritable and bad-tempered.
- "To have a chip on one's shoulder": To be habitually angry or resentful as a result of a perceived grievance.
Adjective
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having a difficult and contrary disposition
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a cantankerous and venomous-tongued old lady- Dorothy Sayers
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stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate
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unions...have never been as bloody-minded about demarcation as the shipbuilders- Spectator
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