Cranky — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Cranky (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. difficult to use or operate especially because of size, weight, or design

   "that old typewriter is handy sometimes, but rather cranky these days"

   similar: awkward, bunglesome, clumsy, clunky, cumbersome, cumbrous, ponderous, ungainly, unhandy, unwieldy
   related: uncontrollable, unmanageable, bulky, dinosaurian, dinosauric, elephantine, heavy, hulking, massive, impracticable, impractical
   opposite: handy
   near: functional, practicable, practical, serviceable, useful

2. easily irritated or annoyed

   "the baby was cranky after not being fed for hours"

   similar: choleric, crabby, cross, crotchety, fiery, grouchy, grumpy, irascible, irritable, peevish, perverse, pettish, petulant, prickly, quick-tempered, raspy, ratty, short-tempered, snappish, snappy, snarky, snippety, snippy, stuffy, testy, waspish, out of humor, out of sorts
   related: bearish, bilious, cantankerous, cross-grained, curmudgeonly, disagreeable, dyspeptic, ill-humored, ill-natured, ill-tempered, off-color, ornery, querulous, snarly, surly, argumentative, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, disputatious, fractious, fretful, pugnacious, quarrelsome, scrappy, truculent, huffy, pouty, sensitive, short, sulky, sullen, tetchy, thin-skinned, touchy, hot-blooded, passionate
   near: affable, companionable, cordial, extroverted, friendly, genial, gregarious, outgoing, sociable, agreeable, amiable, good-natured, good-tempered, sweet, well-disposed, carefree, easygoing, happy-go-lucky, relaxed, forbearing, long-suffering, obliging, patient, stoic, tolerant, uncomplaining, understanding

3. given to complaining a lot

   "if cranky children don't appreciate what they already have, then they shouldn't get a thing more"

   similar: crabby, fussy, grouchy, grumpy, querulous
   related: antsy, fidgety, restive, restless, squirmy, twitchy, uneasy, wiggly, wriggly, discontented, disgruntled, displeased, dissatisfied, fretful, nervous, worrisome, cantankerous, choleric, cross, crotchety, irascible, irritable, ornery, peevish, perverse, pettish, petulant, quick-tempered, short-tempered, snappish, snappy, snippy, testy, waspish
   opposite: forbearing, long-suffering, patient, stoic, tolerant, uncomplaining
   near: affable, agreeable, amiable, genial, good-humored, good-natured, good-tempered, gracious, well-disposed, accommodating, complaisant, obliging, easygoing, laid-back, relaxed

4. different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion

   "that's just another of his cranky theories about the CIA"

   similar: bizarre, bizarro, crazy, curious, eccentric, erratic, far-out, funky, funny, kinky, kooky, odd, off-kilter, off-the-wall, offbeat, out-of-the-way, outlandish, outré, peculiar, quaint, queer, queerish, quirky, remarkable, rum (chiefly British), screwy, spaced-out, strange, wacky, way-out, weird, weirdo, wild
   related: aberrant, abnormal, addlepated, flaky, extraordinary, fantastic, freak, freakish, freaky, phantasmagoric, phenomenal, atypical, rare, singular, uncommon, uncustomary, unique, unusual, unwonted, conspicuous, notable, noticeable, outstanding, prominent, salient, striking, atrocious, outrageous, shocking, crotchety, idiosyncratic, nonconformist, nonmainstream, out-there, unconventional, unorthodox, baffling, bewildering, confounding, mystifying, perplexing, puzzling
   near: average, commonplace, everyday, garden, normal, ordinary, prosaic, routine, run-of-the-mill, standard, typical, unexceptional, unremarkable, usual, workaday, conformist, conservative, conventional, expected, familiar, knee-jerk, predictable, common, customary, frequent, habitual, regular, wonted