crankier; crankiest
1
a
: given to fretful fussiness : readily angered when opposed : crotchety
Our long wait … left us a tad cranky.—Connecticut
b
: marked by eccentricity
… his bizarre and cranky mix of ideas and beliefs …—R. J. Evans
2
: full of twists and turns : tortuous
a cranky road
3
: working erratically : unpredictable
a cranky old tractor
of a boat
crank·i·ness
ˈkraŋ-kē-nəs
plural -es
: the quality or state of being cranky: such as
a
: irritable or unreasonable temper
the fussy crankiness of the dyspeptic
b
: emotional or intellectual perversity or idiosyncrasy
the reader can sometimes glimpse a sort of perverse … crankiness at work—Canadian Forum
Cite this Entry
“Cranky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cranky. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.
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