Meaning & use
cantankerous
Bad-tempered and quarrelsome, especially in a stubborn or argumentative way.
See it in a sentence
The cantankerous old man complained loudly whenever the neighborhood children played too close to his yard.
Despite his cantankerous reputation, the professor was surprisingly patient with struggling students.
A note on using this word
Cantankerous is often applied affectionately to older or eccentric characters rather than used as a harsh insult.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
amiablegood-natured
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