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
Synonyms
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 WebDavid Browne, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024
He's depicted in Saturday Night in all his cranky glory by The Americans' Matthew Rhys.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 27 Sep. 2024
In the present day, his cranky, gray-haired father (played by a cranky, gray-haired Kevin Kline) is stalking the adult Ravenscroft (Blanchett) to exact revenge for what happened to her son all those 20 years ago in Italy.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2024
Schiff was Toby Ziegler, the cranky Communications Director, who is often seen as Bartlet’s liberal conscious and author of his major speeches, before he is fired from the administration in later seasons for leaking classified information about a secret space shuttle.
—Peter White, Deadline, 15 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cranky 
Adjective
The late Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, who could be pretty cranky himself about various aspects of the Dead’s world, music, and culture, had no issues acknowledging Lesh’s presence.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024
He's depicted in Saturday Night in all his cranky glory by The Americans' Matthew Rhys.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 27 Sep. 2024
In the present day, his cranky, gray-haired father (played by a cranky, gray-haired Kevin Kline) is stalking the adult Ravenscroft (Blanchett) to exact revenge for what happened to her son all those 20 years ago in Italy.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2024
Schiff was Toby Ziegler, the cranky Communications Director, who is often seen as Bartlet’s liberal conscious and author of his major speeches, before he is fired from the administration in later seasons for leaking classified information about a secret space shuttle.
—Peter White, Deadline, 15 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cranky
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cranky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Cranky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cranky. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
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