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cantankerousness

cantankerousness

1 9.2
A habit of being bad-tempered and hard to get along with
  • noun
  • /kænˈtæŋkərəsnəs/
: malhumor
  • The cantankerousness of the elderly man at the neighborhood meetings often led to heated debates.

That starts, you know, that starts a lot of cantankerousness.

Examples

  • I am unwilling to live in fear of that, out of sheer cantankerousness if nothing else!

    Blog text (2)
  • Besides, it's hard to argue with what Barr's cantankerousness produced—and not just because Roseanne was so popular.

    Blog text (9)
  • His constant cantankerousness made it difficult for his coworkers to approach him with new ideas.

  • Despite her cantankerousness, she had a soft spot for her grandchildren, which often caught them by surprise.

Synonyms

bad temper
vscantankerousness
20 3.4

A habit of getting angry easily and staying in a bad mood

includes that quick anger but adds frequent argument and difficulty
irritability
vscantankerousness
12 4.2

Being easily annoyed or quick to become angry

is wider pattern of bad temper, argument, or being hard to deal with
petulance
vscantankerousness
4 9.0

Being easily annoyed and acting childish

is more adult negative temperament, adding frequent argument and difficulty
contentiousness
vscantankerousness
1 8.4

A habit of arguing and causing disagreement

is wider unpleasantness and bad temper, not limited to provoking disputes
surliness
vscantankerousness
1 7.7

A way of behaving that is angry and unfriendly

is similar but also implies an argumentative or difficult nature
gruffness
vscantankerousness
1 6.6

A rough, unfriendly way of speaking or acting

is broader bad temper and argumentative behaviour, not only rough speech
combativeness
vscantankerousness
1 7.5

A willingness to argue or fight

is overall ill temper and difficulty rather than active readiness to fight
abrasiveness
vscantankerousness
1 7.0

A harsh, rude manner or tone that offends people

is more about being bad tempered and argumentative than just rudeness
fractiousness
vscantankerousness
1 9.9

A tendency to be easily annoyed and hard to control

is similar but focuses on being difficult to deal with socially
orneriness
vscantankerousness
  • Informal
1 9.9

Being easily annoyed, stubborn, and hard to get along with

is more generally bad tempered and argumentative rather than only stubborn
irascibility
vscantankerousness
  • Formal
1 9.3

A tendency to become angry quickly

is broader ongoing bad temper and difficulty, not only sudden anger
crabbiness
vscantankerousness
1 5.5

A mood of being easily annoyed and bad-tempered

is more than annoyance, including argument and general difficulty
churlishness
vscantankerousness
  • Formal
1 8.6

Rude, unfriendly behavior that makes other people feel unwelcome

is focussed on bad temper and argument rather than plain rudeness
prickly personality
vscantankerousness
  • Informal
1 7.5

A person who gets annoyed easily and is hard to get along with

is broader persistent bad temper and argumentative behaviour beyond sensitivity
disagreeableness
vscantankerousness
1 8.1

A quality of being unpleasant and hard to get along with that makes people avoid you

adds frequent bad temper and arguing to that general unpleasantness
argumentativeness
vscantankerousness
1 6.5

A tendency to argue a lot with other people

is broader bad temper and difficulty to deal with, not only arguing
quarrelsomeness
vscantankerousness
1 8.5

A tendency to argue with others

is general bad temper and difficult behaviour beyond frequent fighting
shrewishness
vscantankerousness
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Being often angry and criticizing others in a harsh, nagging way

is not only scolding but a broader bad temper and argumentative stance
truculency
vscantankerousness
  • Formal
9.9

A quick angry way of behaving that leads to arguments

is general bad temper and disagreeable manner, not mainly aggression
bellicoseness
vscantankerousness
9.9

A habit of starting arguments or fights

is more about being bad tempered and hard to deal with overall
crabbedness
vscantankerousness
9.9

Often being bad-tempered and hard to please

matches that irritability but also stresses argument and difficult dealings

Antonyms

Being friendly, kind, and easy to get along with

How Bad-Tempered

irascibility
  • Formal
1 9.3
cantankerousness
1 9.2
bad temper
20 3.4
irritability
12 4.2

Surface Forms

Morphology

cantankerousness = cantankerous (semi-transparent) = cantankerous + ness

Regular nominalization of the adjective 'cantankerous' with '-ness' to indicate a state or quality.

Etymology

Cantankerousness comes from the older word cantankerous, which was used from the 1700s for people who were always ready to argue. A helpful way to remember it is to think of someone who 'can't get along' with others, so cantankerousness means being 'bad-tempered and difficult to deal with'.