1
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
a lack of sleep would make anyone grouchy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in restless
given to complaining a lot
a grouchy kid who refuses to eat his vegetables
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grouchy
Why was everyone grouchy after drinking the apple cider?
—
Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 18 Nov. 2024
The movie follows a kid and his friend who dig into the mysteries of a haunted house across the street after the grouchy old man who lived there dies in his yard.
—Dustin Nelson, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
Grier expertly blends grouchy and avuncular, skeptical and devoted, without making either extreme feel like a cliché.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Oct. 2024
Europeans feel decidedly grouchy about the region’s economic prospects.
—Forrester, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grouchy
Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 18 Nov. 2024
The movie follows a kid and his friend who dig into the mysteries of a haunted house across the street after the grouchy old man who lived there dies in his yard.
—Dustin Nelson, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
Grier expertly blends grouchy and avuncular, skeptical and devoted, without making either extreme feel like a cliché.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Oct. 2024
Europeans feel decidedly grouchy about the region’s economic prospects.
—Forrester, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for grouchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grouchy
Adjective
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Cold exposure is particularly helpful for those who have irritable skin through the constriction of blood vessels, alleviating swelling and flushes.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
Newsweek,
24 Feb. 2025
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The elderly single mom, played with an irritable, bone-deep bitterness by Irish actor Fiona Shaw, has spent the past few years paralyzed by an illness no one can diagnose.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The restless mass of the glacier, constantly on the move, regularly sent atomic blasts down the ridge.—
Cassidy Randall,
Rolling Stone,
2 Mar. 2025
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Malnourished people are restless people, searching far and wide for a better life.—
Daphne Ewing-Chow,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The best picture-winning boxing drama paired up-and-coming boxer Maggie (Hilary Swank) with grumpy reluctant coach Frankie (Clint Eastwood).—
Brian Truitt,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
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The pair meet after the guy picks up a prescription for an extremely gnarly black eye, setting off a whirlwind romance that’s inevitably disrupted by — what else? — a grumpy parent.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Take the Lishman’s Deli sketch, in which Murphy’s Gumby character — the green clay stop-motion figure reimagined as a crabby Borscht Belt has-been — trades insults with a gang of alter kockers played by Crystal, Guest and Short, who reminisce and argue about sandwiches named for celebrities.—
James Poniewozik,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2025
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California’s crabby conundrum Dungeness crabs are plucked from the Pacific to use for sushi rolls, salads and their namesake cakes.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Trying to Kill Each Other' And Walken is marvelous — querulous, petty, cruel — as the Emperor.—
Tom Gliatto,
Peoplemag,
29 Feb. 2024
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Instead, Gerwig and Baumbach promote querulous sloganeering.—
Armond White,
National Review,
19 July 2023
Adjective
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Some Trump advisers were nervous the deal might go south before the ceremonial signing, but felt confident by the time Mr. Trump greeted Zelenskyy.—
Jennifer Jacobs,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2025
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At the premiere of that film, Brothers At War, in 2009, Joe was nervous.—
Eileen Finan,
People.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Tired and cranky, the former New Jersey Governor lumbered onto a bus ferrying passengers back to the terminal, where the woman seated beside him started unpacking the unpredictable state of politics, particularly President Donald Trump’s chaotic first few weeks back in power.—
Philip Elliott,
TIME,
24 Feb. 2025
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Opioid users often arrived in the E.R. in withdrawal — sick to their stomachs, cranky, itchy, mean.—
Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton,
New York Times,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Trump asked his secretaries after a reporter asked the president if any Cabinet members were dissatisfied with Musk's role.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2025
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Customers were dissatisfied when orders were late or incorrect.—
Ketan Anand,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grouchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grouchy. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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