Meaning & use

grumpy

adjective·Everyday

Easily irritated and bad-tempered, especially in a minor or temporary way.

See it in a sentence

He gets grumpy if he doesn't have his coffee first thing in the morning.

The grumpy old man complained about every noise the children made outside.

A note on using this word

Grumpy usually describes a mild, often amusing bad mood rather than serious or lasting anger.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

cheerfulgood-humored

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “grumpy”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.