cantankerous
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.
A subdued economy leads to a subdued, restless, perhaps cantankerous electorate.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
In “Greenberg,” Ben Stiller’s title character is a cantankerous and neurotic New Yorker who has fled west after a nervous breakdown.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025
Eve Hewson gets only one scene but proves boundlessly charming, as does Stacy Keach as Jay’s cantankerous dad.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025
The pair takes the cold case team starring in Jussi Adler-Olsen’s series of novels and transports them to Edinburgh, casting the cantankerous Carl as an English outsider among Scots.
From Salon • Jun. 28, 2025
Unfortunately, as Great-Aunt Bert could be a bit cantankerous, they were having to be creative.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
Vocabulary lists containing cantankerous
In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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Negative Words to Describe a Person
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Curmudgeon, Cantankerous and Churlish: Grouchy Words
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