cantankerous
Prone to arguing
Cantankerous describes someone habitually ill-tempered, quarrelsome, and difficult to deal with.
The word often applies to older people who seem to enjoy being disagreeable: a cantankerous old man who argued with everyone.
Unlike merely grumpy, cantankerous suggests a stubborn, combative quality—someone who picks fights and resists cooperation.
Easily annoyed, ill-tempered
- curmudgeonlyBad-tempered and uncooperative
- gruffHarsh in manner
- surlyBad-tempered and unfriendly
- sullenSilently bad-tempered
morose · dour · glum · sulky · moody · brooding · crabby · crabbed
Prone to outbursts
- testyShort-tempered, easily provoked
- tetchyEasily provoked to irritation
- peevishHabitually fretful
- snappishShort-tempered, biting
short-tempered · choleric · fractious · prickly · touchy · edgy · impatient · cross
Inclined to complain
- whinyInclined to complain
- fretfulAnxiously irritable
- petulantChildishly bad-tempered
- carpingTrivial persistent criticism
griping · grumbling · kvetching · nagging · fault-finding · caviling · nitpicking · peevish
Firmly refusing to yield
- orneryIll-tempered and stubborn
- difficultRequiring much effort
- mulishStubbornly refusing to yield
- headstrongStubbornly self-willed
willful · intransigent · recalcitrant · uncooperative · perverse · obdurate · pigheaded · bullheaded
Inclined to dispute
- contentiousInclined toward disagreement
- disputatiousFond of arguing
- combativeInclined toward conflict
- belligerentHostile and eager to clash
pugnacious · antagonistic · contrary · confrontational · truculent · scrappy · feisty · litigious
grouchy
Easily annoyed, ill-tempered
- curmudgeonlyBad-tempered and uncooperative
- gruffHarsh in manner
- surlyBad-tempered and unfriendly
sullen · morose · dour · glum · sulky · moody · brooding · crabby · crabbed · bearish
irascible
Prone to outbursts
snappish · short-tempered · choleric · fractious · prickly · touchy · edgy · impatient · cross · thin-skinned
querulous
Inclined to complain
carping · griping · grumbling · kvetching · nagging · fault-finding · caviling · nitpicking · peevish · dissatisfied
obstinate
Firmly refusing to yield
headstrong · willful · intransigent · recalcitrant · uncooperative · perverse · obdurate · pigheaded · bullheaded · froward
argumentative
Inclined to dispute
- contentiousInclined toward disagreement
- disputatiousFond of arguing
- combativeInclined toward conflict
belligerent · pugnacious · antagonistic · contrary · confrontational · truculent · scrappy · feisty · litigious · provocative
- American slangbamboozle, bogus, bunkum, conniption, discombobulate
- irritabilitycranky, grouchy, grumpy, irritated, annoyed
- Southern dialecty'all, fixin to, bless your heart, reckon, howdy
- aging humorretirement jokes, senior moments, senior moment, over the hill, old timer
- cold-heartedcallous, cold, cold-blooded, cold-hearted, cruel
- irritatingannoying, aggravating, bothersome, exasperating, frustrating
cantankerousgood-natured
Having a friendly temperament
good-tempered · easygoing · amiable · agreeable · pleasant