cranky

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈkræŋki/ UK /ˈkræŋki/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
irritable or bad-tempered

The baby grew cranky after missing his afternoon nap.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · irritable or bad-tempered irritable grumpy cantankerous testy peevish grouchy cross

Opposites

cheerful good-natured amiable placid

Word family

Derived forms crankilycrankiness

Related forms crank

Etymology

From 'crank' plus '-y'. 'Crank' is from Old English 'cranc', related to the Germanic root meaning 'bend, crook'; the ill-tempered sense comes from a notion of being twisted or out of order.

cranc Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# cranky

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ˈkræŋki
**IPA (UK):** ˈkræŋki

## Meanings
1. irritable or bad-tempered

## Examples
- The baby grew cranky after missing his afternoon nap.

## Synonyms
- irritable
- grumpy
- cantankerous
- testy
- peevish
- grouchy
- cross

## Antonyms
- cheerful
- good-natured
- amiable
- placid

## Derived Forms
- crankily
- crankiness

## Related Forms
- crank

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: cranc

## Etymology
From 'crank' plus '-y'. 'Crank' is from Old English 'cranc', related to the Germanic root meaning 'bend, crook'; the ill-tempered sense comes from a notion of being twisted or out of order.

## AI Etymology
Cranky is from 'crank' plus '-y'. 'Crank' is from Old English 'cranc', related to the Germanic root meaning 'bend, crook'; the ill-tempered sense comes from a notion of being twisted or out of order. Important recorded forms include cranc (Old English). The current sense covers irritable or bad-tempered. The wider family includes derived forms such as crankily and crankiness and related words such as crank.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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