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.
Ian McKellen plays a cantankerous painter, Michael Jackson’s electrifying talent comes through in a new biopic, Albert Camus’s ‘The Stranger’ gets an elegant adaptation, and much, much more.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
But after Christopher left, Julian became a shell of his former self — a cantankerous curmudgeon, known more for his Simon Cowell-esque criticism on the long-running reality show “Art Fight” than his work.
From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026
The baritone, Vincent Casagrande, a marvelously cantankerous Prisoner, tells us only sick people dream, and of course everyone on stage automatically enters a dream state.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
More character actor than leading man, he could be relied upon to inject a feisty, fiery machismo and a cantankerous contrariness into the most mainstream Hollywood offering.
From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026
When the ringing departed from Herbie’s brain, he realized that not only had he ridden a very cantankerous horse, he’d accomplished something nobody else had ever accomplished.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Vocabulary lists containing cantankerous
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Grade 10, List 5
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