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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.

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

Quesada said she’d surprise him at times with funny little stories “about her more ornery days.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 28, 2024

The publicity-shy author famously had an ornery reaction to that win, giving an interviewer who broke the news “two minutes” on the phone to ask his questions so that she could have her morning coffee.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2023

With his wild, Einsteinian coif, Romantic poet adoration and cryptic, sometimes ornery nature, Dylan is often held up as an emblematic example of the modern male genius.

From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2023

It would have been perfect except for that ornery crow calling away: car-car-car.

From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech




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