grouchy
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
US 1895. From grouch + -y. Originally US college student slang.[1]
Pronunciation
Adjective
grouchy (comparative grouchier, superlative grouchiest)
- (originally university slang) Irritable; easily upset; angry; tending to complain. [From 1895]
- His boss gets grouchy when deadlines draw near.
- 1911, Jack London, chapter III, in The Abysmal Brute:
- Not that young Pat had a nasty temper, or was grouchy as his father had feared.
- 1922, Sinclair Lewis, chapter XXXI, in Babbitt:
- He went in to mumble that he was "sorry, didn't mean to be grouchy," and to inquire as to her interest in movies.
- 1922, Henry William Fischer, “Author's Preface”, in Abroad with Mark Twain and Eugene Field:
- In Berlin I once heard Susie Clemens—ill-fated, talented girl, who died so young—say to her father: "Grouchy again! They do say that you can be funny when company is around—too bad that you don't consider Henry Fisher company."
Synonyms
- cranky, grumpy, tetchy; See also Thesaurus:irritable
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
irritable; easily upset; angry; tending to complain
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References
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “grouchy”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
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