crankier; crankiest
1
a
: given to fretful fussiness : readily angered when opposed : crotchety
Our long wait … left us a tad cranky.—
Connecticut
Connecticut
b
: marked by eccentricity
… his bizarre and cranky mix of ideas and beliefs …—R. J. Evans
R. J. Evans2
: full of twists and turns : tortuous
a cranky road
3
: working erratically : unpredictable
a cranky old tractor
of a boat
Examples of cranky in a Sentence
Adjective (1)
that old typewriter is handy sometimes, but rather cranky these days
the baby was cranky after not being fed for hours
if cranky children don't appreciate what they already have, then they shouldn't get a thing more
that's just another of his cranky theories about the CIA
the man would inflict on innocent bystanders his cranky ruminations on world events
Recent Examples on the Web
Erik Morse, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
The right-hander, who battled a cranky back and shoulder fatigue in spring training, is expected to slot into the Yankees’ rotation on April 15 or 16 against the Royals.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2025
Gene was convicted of killing a cranky tenant, Linda Gallo, although the evidence against him was weak.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
The odd couple: Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), a free-spirited young woman from Manchester tagging along with her cranky, fiftysomething life partner Rick (Walton Goggins), who is on a mission to avenge his father’s death.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cranky
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Adjective
Fifteen years after her husband’s drowning in the nearby bay, Tressilian’s days are spent in a cranky routine: grumbling over the obscene resort stationed on the opposite bluff, reading London’s gossip columns, and summoning the household help with the insistent ringing of a bedroom call bell.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
The right-hander, who battled a cranky back and shoulder fatigue in spring training, is expected to slot into the Yankees’ rotation on April 15 or 16 against the Royals.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2025
Gene was convicted of killing a cranky tenant, Linda Gallo, although the evidence against him was weak.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
The odd couple: Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), a free-spirited young woman from Manchester tagging along with her cranky, fiftysomething life partner Rick (Walton Goggins), who is on a mission to avenge his father’s death.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cranky
Cite this Entry
“Cranky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cranky. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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