as in crab
an irritable and complaining person
that old sourpuss must spend all his time making sure no one traipses across his lawn
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Recent Examples of sourpuss
The Republicans sat like stubborn sourpusses eager for the 81-year-old president to stumble.
—
Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
More than a few folks, including one sourpuss in Toronto, have assumed the name refers to how fast your soup arrives once ordered, but that didn’t make sense to me.
—Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2021
Four generations on, the Grinch’s humble roots on the page as a black-and-white sourpuss, looking down on Who-ville and rueing the impending town feast, have become a Christmas cottage industry.
—Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2020
The suggestion turns me into Schrödinger's sourpuss: neither angry nor disappointed but a superposition of both.
—Tom Simonite, Wired, 18 Feb. 2020
Even a sourpuss like Heifetz let his hair down madly dashing through the finale like a child’s first moments at Disneyland.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2019
Reeves shoulders the dual roles of twin brothers with markedly divergent personalities: peevish sourpuss John and sweet-natured James, who is deep into a losing battle with AIDS.
—Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 7 May 2018
According to the Washington Post, a jury awarded famed sourpuss Grumpy Cat $710,000 in damages on Monday, settling a lawsuit that began in 2015 between the cat’s company and the Grenade beverage company.
—Kate Hogan, PEOPLE.com, 25 Jan. 2018
To most Internet users, Grumpy Cat - the feline with a furry frown - is a minor celebrity that capitalized on the popularity of memes in 2012 as a perpetual sourpuss.
—The Washington Post, OregonLive.com, 25 Jan. 2018
Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
More than a few folks, including one sourpuss in Toronto, have assumed the name refers to how fast your soup arrives once ordered, but that didn’t make sense to me.
—Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2021
Four generations on, the Grinch’s humble roots on the page as a black-and-white sourpuss, looking down on Who-ville and rueing the impending town feast, have become a Christmas cottage industry.
—Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2020
The suggestion turns me into Schrödinger's sourpuss: neither angry nor disappointed but a superposition of both.
—Tom Simonite, Wired, 18 Feb. 2020
Even a sourpuss like Heifetz let his hair down madly dashing through the finale like a child’s first moments at Disneyland.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2019
Reeves shoulders the dual roles of twin brothers with markedly divergent personalities: peevish sourpuss John and sweet-natured James, who is deep into a losing battle with AIDS.
—Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 7 May 2018
According to the Washington Post, a jury awarded famed sourpuss Grumpy Cat $710,000 in damages on Monday, settling a lawsuit that began in 2015 between the cat’s company and the Grenade beverage company.
—Kate Hogan, PEOPLE.com, 25 Jan. 2018
To most Internet users, Grumpy Cat - the feline with a furry frown - is a minor celebrity that capitalized on the popularity of memes in 2012 as a perpetual sourpuss.
—The Washington Post, OregonLive.com, 25 Jan. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sourpuss
Noun
-
Seafood: Tuna, sardines, shrimp, crab, and halibut are all good sources.—
Patricia Weiser,
Verywell Health,
23 July 2025
-
The bay serves as a crucial nursery for young sandbar sharks, which primarily eat fish and crabs.—
Irit Skulnik,
Baltimore Sun,
22 July 2025
Noun
-
In both his monologue and a musical segment on the July 21 episode, Colbert mourned the loss of The Late Show, poked the orange bear that is Donald Trump, and decried his corporate overlords as his in-studio audience cheered, guffawed, and chanted his name multiple times.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
22 July 2025
-
Trump plan for states to oversee national parks could lead to more Grand Canyon damage Miller specified concern about bears who may struggle to ferry cubs away from the fires and birds that may be singed while trying to escape.—
Joan Meiners,
AZCentral.com,
19 July 2025
Noun
-
He’s deemed a crank by Perry White, not long before kidnapping Lois.—
Kambole Campbell,
Vulture,
10 July 2025
-
To research … Continue reading Relatively light and compact, his model had a tricky hand crank and an eyebrow-raising $25 price tag (who could afford such convenience?).—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2025
Noun
-
As a no-nonsense curmudgeon with a heart of gold, Bubba Ray took to coaching the Season 1 cast of WWE LFG like a duck to water.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2025
-
Hence, in this digital age when many people no longer stock postage stamps or envelopes or have any idea where their nearest postal box might be, only the most irascible of curmudgeons would make the effort.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2025
Noun
-
But beyond that, there’s a sense among sports fans in general — and hockey grumps in particular — that South Florida doesn’t deserve its success.—
Adam H. Beasley,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2025
-
His latest gamble, a seasonal producing job with the potential for longer-term employment, sends the family relocating from Ohio to New Jersey and then eventually to a Kansas farm owned by Macy’s semi-estranged grump of a brother, Walter (Chris Cooper).—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sourpuss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sourpuss. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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