Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Churlish; grouchy; bad-tempered: Describes a person who is easily annoyed, irritable, and often speaks or reacts in a sharp, unfriendly, or impatient manner.
   • Crabby; snappish: Refers to a tendency to be in a bad mood and to respond to others with short, angry remarks.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ấy trở nên gắt gỏng khi bị mệt. (He becomes grouchy when he is tired.)
  • Đừng gắt gỏng với trẻ con như vậy. (Don't be so snappish with the children.)
  • Cô ấy có vẻ gắt gỏng cả ngày hôm nay. (She seems to have been bad-tempered all day today.)

Advanced Usage

• The word often describes a temporary state of irritability, typically caused by external factors like stress, fatigue, or discomfort, rather than a permanent personality trait.
• It can modify behavior, tone of voice, or facial expression.
  • giọng nói gắt gỏng (a snappish tone of voice)
  • cái nhìn gắt gỏng (a crabby look)

Variants and Related Words

• Gắt (adj): Sharp, harsh, or irritable. This is the root adjective, with "gắt gỏng" being a more emphatic and descriptive reduplicative form.
  • Tính anh ấy hơi gắt. (His temper is a bit sharp.)
• Cáu gắt (adj): Synonymous with "gắt gỏng," meaning irritable or quick-tempered.
  • Ông ấy đang cáu gắt vì chuyện công việc. (He is irritable because of work matters.)

Synonyms

• Irritable: Easily annoyed or provoked.
• Cantankerous: Bad-tempered and argumentative.
• Testy: Easily irritated; impatient and somewhat bad-tempered.
• Peevish: Having or showing an irritable mood.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Nổi cơn gắt gỏng: To have a fit of irritability; to fly into a bad-tempered state.
  • Bà ấy nổi cơn gắt gỏng vì tiếng ồn. (She flew into a bad-tempered state because of the noise.)
• While "gắt gỏng" itself is not typically part of a wider idiom, the behavior it describes is central to expressions about irritability.

adj

1. churlish; grouchy; bad-tempered