orneriness
Use Orneriness in a sentence
nə adjective, or·ner·i·er, or·ner·i·est. Dialect.
1.
ugly and unpleasant in disposition or temper: No one can get along with my ornery cousin.
2.
stubborn: I can't do a thing with that ornery mule.
3.
low or vile.
4.
inferior or common; ordinary.
Related forms
or·ner·i·ness, noun
Synonyms
1. mean, ill-tempered, ill-natured, surly, testy.
1. mean, ill-tempered, ill-natured, surly, testy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To orneriness
00:10
Orneriness
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
ornery (ˈɔːnərɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | stubborn or vile-tempered |
| 2. | low; treacherous: an ornery trick |
| 3. | ordinary |
| [C19: alteration of | |
| 'orneriness | |
| —n | |
| ornery (ˈɔːnərɪ) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | stubborn or vile-tempered |
| 2. | low; treacherous: an ornery trick |
| 3. | ordinary |
| [C19: alteration of | |
| 'orneriness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
ornery
1816, Amer.Eng. dialectal contraction of ordinary. "Commonplace," hence "of poor quality, coarse, ugly." By c.1860 the sense had evolved to "mean, cantankerous."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
What makes them seem transhuman to us now is their sheer orneriness.
As president of the debate team, he developed a reputation for orneriness.
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