cantankerous

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“
"This character is irascible and cantankerous, and often downright grumpy but beneath that is one of the most altruistic, caring, loyal friends you can possibly have," explained Urban.

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Definitions (6)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. adjective Ill-tempered and quarrelsome; disagreeable: disliked her cantankerous landlord.
  2. adjective Difficult to handle: "had to use liquid helium, which is supercold, costly and cantankerous” (Boston Globe).

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Examples (50)

  • Steven Pinker does allow that some people might channel their magical thinking into "sound symbolism (words such as sneer, cantankerous, and mellifluous that naturally call to mind the things they mean)."
  • He is known on the Hill to be gruff, cantankerous, and easily frustrated. —  RedState
  • "This character is irascible and cantankerous, and often downright grumpy but beneath that is one of the most altruistic, caring, loyal friends you can possibly have," explained Urban. —  TrekToday
  • Some churches have found it easier to move their entire congregation rather than try to get rid of a rather cantankerous, but persistent, Pharisaical council member. —  The Moderate Voice
  • - Michael C. Hall (David Fisher) as a cantankerous new neighbor of —  Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch
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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Perhaps from Middle English contek, dissension (influenced by such words as rancorous and cankerous), from Anglo-Norman contec, possibly from Latin contāctus, past participle of contingere, to touch; see contact.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Prop. dial., with suffix -ous, from English dial. cantanker, *contanker, a corruption (by assimilation of adjacent syllables) of Middle English conteckour, contekour, prob. also *contackour, *contakour, a quarrelsome person, from conteck, contack, contek, contak, contention, quarreling: see conteck, conteckour.
 

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/kænˈtæŋkərəs/
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