cantankerous

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
18
Words With Friends
22
Letters
12
Pronunciation
/kænˈtæŋkəɹəs/
See all 2 pronunciations
/kænˈtæŋkəɹəs/ · /kənˈtæŋkəɹəs/

Definition of cantankerous

1 sense · 1 part of speech · etymology included

adj

  1. Given to or marked by an ill-tempered, quarrelsome nature; ill-tempered, cranky, crabby.
    “"She is a cantankerous old maid," added another, whom I recognised, by his voice, as a man whose attentions I had put a determined check to not six weeks before: "she is a cantankerous old maid, fretting and snarling over the loss of her beauty."”
    “Murphy's Law never proved itself more accurate than at the Nov. 18 film benefit for Persephone Press. With problems ranging from a cantankerous projector to blown fuses, the presentations of Jan Oxenberg's films were blurred, disrupted and played with lapses in their soundtracks.”
    “By contrast, cantankerous and churlish people are contemptuously independent of others’ opinions, not caring enough about others and their views.”
    “Nina was thrilled, muttering her cantankerous joy that I was getting out of the house.”
    “Unfortunately, as Great-Aunt Bert could be a bit cantankerous, they were having to be creative.”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

Perhaps derived from earlier contenkerous, from contentious + rancorous.

Words you can make from cantankerous

200+ playable · top: CANKEROUS (15 pts)

Best play cankerous 15 points

9-letter words

8 words

8-letter words

36 words

7-letter words

138 words

6-letter words

17 words

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