🌀 Eccentric or odd 😠 Irritable or grumpy

crankish

8.3

Becoming easily annoyed and acting in a bad-tempered way

adjective
/ˈkræŋkɪʃ/

: irritable

He became crankish when he didn't get enough sleep, snapping at his friends for no reason.

Examples

After a long day at work, I felt crankish and irritable with everyone around me.
The dog's crankish behavior made it hard to approach him; he growled at anyone who got too close.
I'm terrible, tired, cranky, no good.
You probably felt cranky, foggy, maybe anxious.
A big thumbs down from the kids, most of whom are still cranky in skipping their nap.

Synonyms

cranky

vscrankish

117 4.2

Easily annoyed and upset when tired or hungry

is similar but often shows stranger or more eccentric irritability

grumpy

vscrankish

76 1.7

Easily annoyed and in a bad mood

includes that moodiness but can also feel oddly eccentric

irritable

vscrankish

32 3.7

Quick to become annoyed or angry

is similar but often includes odd or eccentric irritability

testy

vscrankish

32 7.2

Easily annoyed and quick to get angry

is similar but may be less about speed and more oddness

crabby

vscrankish

Informal

24 5.4

Feeling easily annoyed and in a bad mood

adds a nuance of strange or peculiar irritability

ornery

vscrankish

Informal

22 8.5

Being bad-tempered and stubborn, often hard to deal with

is mainly irritable or strange, not necessarily stubborn or difficult

petulant

vscrankish

19 8.2

Acting easily annoyed and impatient about small things

is broader, covering general odd or persistent irritability

grouchy

vscrankish

19 3.9

Easily annoyed and often in a bad mood

adds a hint of strange or odd irritable behaviour

pissy

vscrankish

Offensive

18 9.6

Quick to become annoyed and show a bad mood

is similar but can be strange or eccentric rather than merely petty

cantankerous

vscrankish

9 8.6

Gets angry easily and often argues with people

is mainly about being irritable or strangely bad tempered rather than arguing

crotchety

vscrankish

6 8.8

Often in a bad mood and easily annoyed by small things

shares irritability but is less focused on eccentric unpredictability

churlish

vscrankish

Formal

5 8.5

Rude and unkind in a way that upsets people

is more about odd or irritable behaviour than deliberate rudeness

irascible

vscrankish

Formal

5 8.6

Quick to become angry, often at small things

is more about general irritability and sometimes odd behaviour

hot-tempered

vscrankish

5 5.1

Quick to become angry

covers irritability too but not only sudden angry outbursts

short-tempered

vscrankish

4 4.2

Quick to get angry or easily annoyed

is similar but may not be as focused on rapid anger

ill-tempered

vscrankish

4 5.7

Easily annoyed and quick to get angry

overlaps but often includes odd or striking irritable traits

curmudgeonly

vscrankish

3 9.5

Often bad-tempered and easily annoyed, like a grumpy older person

can be cranky too but not specifically tied to age

bad-tempered

vscrankish

3 3.5

Quick to get angry or annoyed

adds a sense of odd or strange irritable behaviour

quick-tempered

vscrankish

1 6.0

To become angry quickly and easily

is similar but often describes ongoing odd irritability rather than quick anger

narky

vscrankish

1 9.9

Easily annoyed and quick to complain about small things

is similar but not necessarily petty or small in complaint

prickish

vscrankish

Offensive

1 8.9

Being rude and getting upset by small things

is focused on irritable oddness rather than overt rudeness

crabbed

vscrankish

Archaic

1 8.6

Annoyed and easily upset so you speak in a short angry way

is similar but may also feel oddly strange rather than just harsh

ratchety

vscrankish

Informal

9.3

Being easily annoyed and bad-tempered, often showing impatience

is similar but can also mean strangely irritable rather than only impatient

huffish

vscrankish

9.9

Being bad-tempered and easily offended

shares moodiness but often includes eccentric irritability too

a bit scorpy

vscrankish

Informal

9.9

Being a little angry and easily annoyed with people

is more fully irritable and sometimes shows odd behaviour

vinegarish

vscrankish

9.9

A person who has a sour, unfriendly mood and speaks sharply to others

is similar but often implies quirky or strange irritability

Antonyms

pleasant

314 1.0

Giving a gentle feeling of enjoyment

easygoing

22 2.6

Being calm and relaxed and not easily upset

How Irritable

bad-tempered

3 3.5

crankish

8.3

testy

32 7.2

irritable

32 3.7

Surface Forms

crankish positive

Morphology

crankish = crank (transparent) = crank + ish

The adjective is transparently formed from 'crank' + '-ish' to mean 'showing qualities of a crank', so the irritable sense is derivable from the base.

Etymology

Crankish is also related to cranky, a word that means 'easily annoyed' or 'bad-tempered', and because a 'crank' could be a difficult person, crankish can mean being 'irritable'.