CRANKY (crankier, crankiest)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: crankier    , crankiest   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cranky mean? 

• CRANKY (adjective)
  The adjective CRANKY has 2 senses:

1. (used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail

2. easily irritated or annoyed

  Familiarity information: CRANKY used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CRANKY (adjective)

Comparative: crankier   
Superlative: crankiest   

Sense 1

Meaning:

(used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail

Synonyms:

crank; cranky; tender; tippy

Similar:

unstable (lacking stability or fixity or firmness)

Domain category:

boat (a small vessel for travel on water)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Easily irritated or annoyed

Synonyms:

cranky; fractious; irritable; nettlesome; peckish; peevish; pettish; petulant; scratchy; techy; testy; tetchy

Context example:

not the least nettlesome of his countrymen

Similar:

ill-natured (having an irritable and unpleasant disposition)

Derivation:

crank (a bad-tempered person)

crankiness (a fussy and eccentric disposition)

 Context examples 

Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) Is the patient cranky and irritable?

(NPI - Cranky and Irritable, NCI Thesaurus)

It might be that the VIP you’re seeing is simply having a bad day and is in a cranky mood.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

"The unfortunate circumstances—if you had chanced here any other day," Mr. Ford began suavely, only to be interrupted by Mr. Ends, whose cranky eyes justified themselves in his shortness of temper.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

I'll stay with you till I am a cross cranky old woman.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

If you feel your spouse or other partner has been cranky and out of sorts lately (and will continue to be so in early to mid-November, too), it’s probably not you.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)