Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Grumpy, irritable, and generally disliked: Describes a person who is frequently in a bad mood, easily annoyed, and whose temperament makes them unlikable to others. It implies a sour, disagreeable, and difficult personality.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Ông ấy nổi tiếng là người khẳn tính trong làng. (He is known as the grumpy man in the village.)
  • Tính nó khẳn tính lắm, chẳng ai muốn chơi cùng. (He has a very irritable temper; nobody wants to hang out with him.)
  • Bà chủ quán có vẻ khẳn tính nhưng lòng tốt vẫn còn. (The shop owner seems crabby, but she still has a good heart.)

Advanced Usage

• "tính khẳn": This is a less common variant where the adjective is used attributively before a noun or as a nominalized phrase.
  • Anh ta có tính khẳn từ nhỏ. (He has had a grumpy disposition since childhood.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cáu kỉnh (adj): Irritable, quick-tempered. (A close synonym, but may lack the strong connotation of being disliked.)
• Gắt gỏng (adj): Snappish, short-tempered. (Often used to describe sharp, impatient speech, a common trait of someone .)
• Khó chịu (adj): Unpleasant, annoying. (A more general term for something or someone that causes discomfort or irritation.)

Synonyms

• Grumpy: Bad-tempered and irritable.
• Crabby: Irritable and ill-tempered.
• Cantankerous: Bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative.
• Surly: Bad-tempered and unfriendly.

Related Idioms

• Mặt khẳn như bưa: (Face as sour as a betel nut husk) - An idiom describing someone with a perpetually sullen, unfriendly, or angry expression, perfectly illustrating a person.
  • Đừng hỏi han gì, nhìn mặt khẳn như bưa kia kìa. (Don't ask anything, look at that sour face over there.)

1. Grumpy and liked by few people