cantankerous

[ kan-tang-ker-uhs ]
See synonyms for: cantankerouscantankerousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. disagreeable to deal with; contentious; peevish: a cantankerous, argumentative man.

Origin of cantankerous

1
First recorded in 1765–75; origin uncertain; earlier contankerous, perhaps derivation of Middle English contack, conteck “quarrel, contention,” from Anglo-French contek, formed on the models of contentious, rancorous

Other words from cantankerous

  • can·tan·ker·ous·ly, adverb
  • can·tan·ker·ous·ness, noun

Words Nearby cantankerous

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How to use cantankerous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cantankerous

cantankerous

/ (kænˈtæŋkərəs) /


adjective
  1. quarrelsome; irascible

Origin of cantankerous

1
C18: perhaps from C14 (obsolete) conteckour a contentious person, from conteck strife, from Anglo-French contek, of obscure origin

Derived forms of cantankerous

  • cantankerously, adverb
  • cantankerousness, noun

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