sorehead

1 9.6

A person who gets easily annoyed or angry over small things

noun
/ˈsɔrˌhɛd/

Offensive

: gruñón

He is known as a sorehead for always complaining about the smallest things.

Examples

If you're gonna be a sorehead about this, I'll go ask 'em.

The Hot Rock (1972)
Just 'cause you're not sittin' up front, that ain't no reason to be a sorehead.

The Fox and the Hound (1981)
Now, like a sorehead, you're trying to shift all the blame.

Fiction book (1993)
If you continue to be a sorehead, you will miss out on a lot of fun.
She acted like a sorehead after being excluded from the group decision.

Synonyms

hothead

vssorehead

Offensive

23 6.2

A person who gets angry quickly and acts without thinking

is prone to lasting irritation and grudge rather than sudden rash action

Antonyms

easygoing

22 2.6

Being calm and relaxed and not easily upset

unbothered

Informal

1 4.8

Not feeling worried or upset by something

Compounds

sorehead attitude

Archaic

9.5

A grumpy mood that makes you rude to other people

How Irritable

hothead

Offensive

23 6.2

sorehead

Offensive

1 9.6

Surface Forms

sorehead singular

soreheads plural

Morphology

sorehead = sore + head (semi-transparent) = sore + head

The components 'sore' and 'head' are clear, but the idiomatic sense 'a person easily annoyed or resentful' is a lexicalized meaning rather than a literal 'painful head'.

Etymology

Sorehead comes from the simple parts sore and head. Sore means 'hurt' or 'angry', so a sorehead is someone who stays 'sore' about things — in other words, an easily annoyed or resentful person.