cantankerous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Playing a confounding, cantankerous old painter who hasn’t touched a canvas in at least 20 years, Mr. McKellen delivers yet another marvelous late-career highlight.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
In “Greenberg,” Ben Stiller’s title character is a cantankerous and neurotic New Yorker who has fled west after a nervous breakdown.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025
The soccer team’s place in the Premier League standings had the typically cantankerous rock star in a great mood, and that held when talk turned to his ongoing reunion tour.
From Salon • Aug. 19, 2025
Known for his cantankerous, no-nonsense business dealings and his "you're fired/hired" catchphrase, Lord Sugar insists his on-screen persona is how he is in real life.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2025
I think fear had made us all a little cantankerous.
From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech
Vocabulary lists containing cantankerous
In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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Negative Words to Describe a Person
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Grade 10, List 5
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