cantankerous.

Bad-tempered and inclined to argue or complain.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• cantankerous neighbour
• cantankerous mood

On the page

Even the cantankerous caretaker softened when the children thanked him.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Comparative more cantankerous; superlative most cantankerous when comparison is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common.