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Definitions

ornery

[awr-nuh-ree] / ˈɔr nə ri /


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.

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Josh Charles stars as a talented but ornery surgeon who leaves his career in Boston to become a doctor in a small town.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 28, 2025

“It was in the last five years that they’ve really become a nuisance,” homeowner Sara Alden told CBS2 about one ornery ursine that had recently broken into her family’s home and tore up the place.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 21, 2024

Even the ornery and Scrooge-like Walter can’t help but become emotional at reading that.

From Salon Nov. 23, 2023

It falls to Asha, her quirky friends, an ornery talking goat sidekick and a cute fallen star to rebel against Magnifico to get the wishes back.

From Seattle Times Nov. 21, 2023

Maybe it was just that ornery part of me making trouble again.

From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate

Brustein’s universalism grew ornerier and more claustrophobic with age.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 8, 2023

He was mebby thinking how much ornerier that would make the hull scheme.

From Danny's Own Story by Don Marquis

Pitching in the brilliant sunshine July sunshine with temperatures in the low 80s, the orneriest of the Mariners starters delivered an outstanding performance in a season filled with them.

From Seattle Times Jul. 20, 2023

In a family with six children, Bob wasn’t the oldest Stoops child - that title belongs to brother Ron Jr. - but Kathy says Bob was the edgiest, the feistiest, the orneriest.

From Washington Times Sep. 4, 2017

“Colleen was the orneriest one in the pool, but boy, could she swim!”

From Washington Times Jan. 7, 2017

And ... if he wishes to further extend his inventive genius to elephant snares, our special elephant trap welders make welds unconditionally guaranteed to discourage the attempt of the orneriest pachyderm to "walk away mil."

From Time Magazine Archive

I wasn’t ’bout to sneak no looks at Miss Daponte; ’twas well knowed that ’long with being the strongest woman in Possum Moan, she was also the orneriest one.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis




Vocabulary lists containing ornery


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