Meaning & use
feeling crossed
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Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformal
Feeling angry or annoyed, especially because someone has opposed or blocked you.
Grammar: Often used after a linking verb: He was feeling crossed after the argument. It can also mean feeling that your plans have been thwarted.
Patterns
- be feeling crossed
- feel crossed by someone
After her proposal was rejected, she was feeling crossed and didn't want to talk about it.
He felt crossed when his friend didn't support him in the meeting.
Don't be feeling crossed just because things didn't go your way.
Common combinations
- feeling a bit crossed
- She was feeling a bit crossed after waiting for an hour.
- feel crossed with someone
- He felt crossed with his brother for forgetting his birthday.
- get crossed
- Don't get crossed over such a small mistake.
Synonyms and how they differ
- annoyed
- Annoyed is more common and general; feeling crossed often implies a sense of being thwarted or opposed.
- angry
- Angry is stronger and more intense than feeling crossed, which is milder and more about irritation.
- frustrated
- Frustrated emphasizes being blocked from achieving something; feeling crossed can also suggest this but is less direct.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: feeling crossed or crossed?
feeling crossed vs crossed
As a verb, 'crossed' means went across or intersected; as an adjective, it can mean marked with a cross. 'Feeling crossed' is a separate idiomatic phrase meaning annoyed.
Practice
What does 'feeling crossed' most likely mean?
Choose one answer.
'Feeling crossed' means feeling angry or annoyed, often because you have been opposed. It does not mean happy, confused, or tired.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “feeling crossed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.