1
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
a crabby old dog who snapped at passersby
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in restless
given to complaining a lot
a bunch of crabby kids who don't want to do any work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crabby
Hailee Steinfeld plays the crabby, impatient, and judgmental high schooler Nadine.
—
Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 30 July 2024
One crabby older professor in particular, Devoto (Silvio Orlando), mostly ignores her looks but is taken with her ideas.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 22 May 2024
Mannequin on Main, 113 S. Main St., Bel Air
Who could be crabby wearing these ceramic earrings?
—Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun, 14 May 2024
In this beloved special, the Peanuts kids are all dressing up and ready for a costume party, but Linus has his own way of celebrating the season, no matter what anyone says (and his famously crabby big sister Lucy certainly has a lot to say about it).
—Danny Horn, EW.com, 6 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for crabby 
Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 30 July 2024
One crabby older professor in particular, Devoto (Silvio Orlando), mostly ignores her looks but is taken with her ideas.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 22 May 2024
Mannequin on Main, 113 S. Main St., Bel Air
Who could be crabby wearing these ceramic earrings?
—Barbara Haddock Taylor, Baltimore Sun, 14 May 2024
In this beloved special, the Peanuts kids are all dressing up and ready for a costume party, but Linus has his own way of celebrating the season, no matter what anyone says (and his famously crabby big sister Lucy certainly has a lot to say about it).
—Danny Horn, EW.com, 6 Oct. 2023
See all Example Sentences for crabby
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crabby
Adjective
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By the end, Liverpool’s players seemed tired and Klopp was irritable, clearly in need of a rest.—
Simon Hughes,
The Athletic,
20 Jan. 2025
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The trio’s sixth record is charmingly irritable in both of its moods: hopped up on fluffy coffee while cracking baseball jokes, or dragging out downbeats and lamenting power structures to goad listeners with mounting anticipation.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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That iconic scene—which took place on the corner of 52nd and Lex—is from Billy Wilder’s 1955 comedy The Seven Year Itch, about a restless husband (Tom Ewell) ensorcelled by a neighboring blond (Monroe, of course).—
Vogue,
Vogue,
25 Jan. 2025
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His output is alluded to in the film’s atmospheric credit sequence, in which a restless, scratchy charcoal pencil attacks white paper, the claustrophobia of which is intensified by the director’s intimate use of Academy ratio.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The only people who can help Sara and Devin are Isaac (Taylor Kitsch), a grouchy mountain man, and Two Moons (Shawnee Pourier), a mute Shoshone girl fleeing her own violent past.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
9 Jan. 2025
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The fans who booed last week at Gillette Stadium seemed more grouchy than outraged.—
Steve Buckley,
The Athletic,
2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Share [Findings] Marine biologists described the Red Sea’s grumpy dwarfgoby.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harper's Magazine,
22 Jan. 2025
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These residents are forever loyal, even when grumpy, about their teams.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
The Mercury News,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Trying to Kill Each Other' And Walken is marvelous — querulous, petty, cruel — as the Emperor.—
Tom Gliatto,
Peoplemag,
29 Feb. 2024
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Instead, Gerwig and Baumbach promote querulous sloganeering.—
Armond White,
National Review,
19 July 2023
Adjective
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Some parents are nervous to send their kids back to the center, given the air quality concerns and its proximity to the burn area.—
Kate Sequeira,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Jan. 2025
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Ellie is nervous, and so naturally, her dead lesbian aunt manifests as an unwanted spiritual gay guide.—
Sadie Collins,
Them,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Michael Ritchie’s hilarious classic features a cranky boozer (Walter Matthau at his best) coaching a batch of bad-news Little Leaguers, one played by Tatum O’Neal.—
Randy Myers,
The Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2025
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Frequently at odds with his cranky dad (Darren McGavin) but comforted by his doting mother (Melinda Dillon), Ralphie struggles to make it to Christmas Day with his glasses and his hopes intact.—
Duante Beddingfield,
Detroit Free Press,
11 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near crabby
Cite this Entry
“Crabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crabby. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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