Definitions

bearish

[bair-ish] / ˈbɛər ɪʃ /

ADJECTIVE

bluff

Synonyms

STRONG

blunt blustering brief direct frank open rough short tart

WEAK

barefaced breviloquent brusque candid crusty curt downright forthright gruff hearty honest laconic no-nonsense outspoken plain-spoken rude short-spoken sincere snippety snippy straightforward tactless terse unceremonious

Antonyms

STRONG

courteous devious dishonest lengthy long polite

ADJECTIVE

boorish

Synonyms

STRONGEST

barbaric churlish coarse impolite rude tasteless uncivilized vulgar

WEAK

bad-mannered cantankerous cloddish clodhopping clownish clumsy countrified gross gruff ill-bred ill-mannered inurbane loud loutish lowbred oafish ornery out of line out-of-order provincial rough rustic swinish ugly uncouth uncultured uneducated ungracious unpoised unpolished unrefined

Antonyms

STRONGEST

delicate gentle kind mannerly nice pleasant polished polite refined smooth sophisticated

WEAK

charming cultured

ADJECTIVE

brutal

Synonyms

STRONGEST

inhuman inhumane rude savage

WEAK

animal beastly bestial brute brutish carnal coarse feral ferine swinish unfeeling

Antonyms

STRONGEST

kind nice

WEAK

generous gentle humane

ADJECTIVE

cantankerous

Synonyms

STRONGEST

cranky dour grouchy grumpy irascible prickly quarrelsome testy

WEAK

bad-tempered bloody-minded captious choleric contrary critical cross crotchety crusty disagreeable huffy ill-humored ill-natured irritable morose obstinate ornery peevish perverse petulant snappish sour stubborn vinegarish vinegary

Antonyms

STRONGEST

cheerful easygoing happy pleasant

WEAK

easy good-natured nice

ADJECTIVE

chubby

Synonyms

STRONGEST

chunky flabby plump portly pudgy stout

WEAK

ample big butterball buxom fat fleshy full-figured hefty husky pleasingly plump plumpish podgy roly-poly rotund round tubby zaftig

Antonyms

STRONGEST

lean skinny slim thin

ADJECTIVE

cranky

Synonyms

STRONGEST

cantankerous grouchy grumpy irascible irritable ornery ugly

WEAK

bad-humored choleric crabby cross crotchety cussed disagreeable got up on wrong side of bed hot-tempered ill-humored like a bear mean out of sorts perverse quick-tempered ratty snappish tetchy vinegary

Antonyms

STRONGEST

cheerful happy nice pleasant

WEAK

amiable

ADJECTIVE

crotchety

Synonyms

STRONGEST

cantankerous crusty grouchy grumpy ornery

WEAK

awkward bad-tempered contrary crabby cranky cross cross-grained curmudgeonly difficult disagreeable eccentric fractious irritable obstinate obstreperous odd peevish surly testy unusual vinegary waspish waspy

Antonyms

STRONGEST

happy nice pleasant

WEAK

cheerful

ADJECTIVE

difficult

Synonyms

STRONGEST

demanding grim intractable tough troublesome

WEAK

argumentative boorish dark fastidious finicky fractious fussy hard to please impolite irritable oafish obstreperous perverse picky refractory rigid rude tiresome trying unaccommodating unamenable

Antonyms

STRONGEST

easy facile nice

WEAK

calm free friendly manageable plain simple sociable straightforward uncomplicated

ADJECTIVE

gruff

Synonyms

STRONGEST

blunt boisterous brusque crusty dour grumpy nasty offhand surly

WEAK

abrupt boorish churlish crabbed crabby crude curt discourteous fierce grouchy ill-natured impolite morose rough saturnine short snappy snippy sour sullen truculent uncivil ungracious unmannerly

Antonyms

STRONGEST

cheerful happy kind nice pleasant polite tactful

WEAK

even-tempered soft sweet

ADJECTIVE

ill-tempered

Synonyms

STRONGEST

cantankerous grumpy irascible testy

WEAK

annoyed bad-tempered choleric crabby cross crotchety grouchy moody nasty quick-tempered sharp snappy sour spiteful surly touchy vicious

Antonyms

STRONGEST

happy nice pleasant

ADJECTIVE

irascible

Synonyms

STRONGEST

cantankerous cranky feisty grouchy passionate surly testy uptight

WEAK

angry bristly choleric crabbed cross fractious hasty hot-tempered huffy ireful irritable ogre peevish petulant querulous quick-tempered short-tempered snappish thin-skinned touchy

Antonyms

STRONGEST

cool happy pleasant

WEAK

cheerful

ADJECTIVE

irritable

Synonyms

STRONGEST

annoyed contentious exasperated fractious petulant prickly resentful surly testy

WEAK

brooding cantankerous carping choleric complaining crabbed cross crotchety disputatious dissatisfied dyspeptic easily offended fiery fretful fretting gloomy grouchy grumbling hasty hot huffy hypercritical ill-humored irascible moody morose out of humor oversensitive peevish plaintive querulous quick-tempered sensitive snappy snarling tense touchy

Antonyms

STRONGEST

happy pleasant

WEAK

cheerful nice

ADJECTIVE

loutish

Synonyms

WEAK

bad-mannered barbaric bungling cantankerous churlish cloddish clodhopping clownish clumsy coarse dense doltish gross gruff ill-bred ill-mannered impolite loud oafish ornery rough rude rustic swinish uncivilized uncouth uncultured uneducated unmannerly unpolished unrefined vulgar

ADJECTIVE

querulous

Synonyms

WEAK

bemoaning cantankerous captious carping censorious complaining critical cross crying deploring discontented dissatisfied edgy fault-finding fretful grousing grumbling grumbly huffy irritable lamenting out of sorts peevish petulant plaintive scrappy snappy sour testy thin-skinned touchy uptight wailing waspish waspy whimpering whining whiny

Antonyms

WEAK

cheerful easygoing happy

ADJECTIVE

rough

Synonyms

STRONGEST

coarse cruel hard harsh nasty raw tough unpleasant unpolished violent

STRONG

bluff blunt brief crude extreme gross mean rowdy sharp short

WEAK

boisterous boorish brusque churlish crass crusty curt discourteous drastic hairy ill-mannered improper inconsiderate indecorous indelicate inelegant loud loutish severe unceremonious uncivil uncouth uncultivated uncultured unfeeling ungracious unjust unmannerly unrefined untutored vulgar

Antonyms

STRONGEST

agreeable clean delicate easy facile gentle good great kind merciful mild moral nice peaceful pleasant pleasing polite refined smooth soft sophisticated sympathetic wonderful

STRONG

calm lengthy long moderate

WEAK

accurate complete courteous definite even level polished precise regular temperate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Traders continued to ramp up bearish bets against the Japanese yen, with speculative short exposure reaching fresh extremes,” the market analyst says, citing the latest Commitments of Traders positioning data from the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026

A doji in mid-August signaled stabilization, clearing the way for a powerful advance that carried into early 2025 before a bearish engulfing candle marked a near-term top in January.

From Barron's • Jun. 13, 2026

The market “is being forced to discount a further bearish tilt to the weather factor while also seeing some negative spillover from the lower oil prices,” Ritterbusch & Associates says in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

See more: Micron, Marvell drag the tech sector into a new bearish phase.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026

The bearish boy’s knuckles went white around his branch.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

bearish

Example Sentences

Related Words