as in cantankerousness
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orneriness
Noun
-
Dani’s surliness has evaporated.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025 -
The Dolphins knew in the spring that Jalen Ramsey’s tardiness and surliness did not fit the culture that the organization wanted to build.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Poor sleep leads to more than just crankiness A cranky kid after a bad night’s sleep is bad enough.—
Avery Newmark,
AJC.com,
10 Mar. 2026
-
And remember, most Californians are running on an hour less sleep today, so drive a little slower and blame your crankiness on the time change.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Vince Gilligan moved to Apple and returned to his X-Files roots for the sci-fi horror dramatic comedy Pluribus, which used its ultra-mysterious and yet ultra-familiar genre trappings for a droll meditation on the eternal clash between collective joy and individual grouchiness.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Nov. 2025
-
Emily is also struggling with Annabelle, who has inherited her mom’s attitude and the grouchiness of any adolescent forced to grow up with an Evolution Media camera crew in her home.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Trump’s petulance, meanness, and willingness to punish a religious institution for its Church’s moral witness is a warning to every faith community in America.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Sure, the Oscar-winning makeup helps transform the actor into Cheney, but the voice and petulance are all Bale, whose conjuring of this scoundrel ought to trigger PTSD for anyone who survived the Dubya years.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
His grumpiness is legendary, his seriousness a source of humor for everyone around him.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Postpartum depression, per Mayo Clinic, includes symptoms such as depressed mood, difficulty bonding with your baby, changes in appetite, intense irritability and more.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
-
The result can appear not only as exhaustion, but also irritability, decreased concentration, emotional numbing, sleep disruption, and heightened anxiety.—
Maia Niguel Hoskin,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
There’s probably not much of a mystery bubbling around the pizza plaza’s sudden crustiness toward the Super Bowl.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Use disposable products like gauze or cotton swabs to gently remove build-up or crustiness.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
From top to bottom, this administration embodies the perversity, ignorance and belligerence of its leader.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Apr. 2026
-
His shrieking reactions to his wife’s savagery throw into relief his good nature and her perversity.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Orneriness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orneriness. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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