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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > CANTANKEROUS

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pronounce CANTANKEROUS:

can TANK uh russ
Your browser does not support the audio element.

connect this word to others:

Cantankerous people are crabby, cranky, grumpy, grouchy, and iras_____ (easily angered by petty things). Can you recall that last synonym?

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)    

definition:

"Cantankerous" might trace back to a Middle English word for a person who creates strife, raises a fuss, or brings up petty contentions.

We've used it since 1736 to describe people in nasty, grouchy moods who are just unpleasant to deal with.

In other words, cantankerous people and things are grumpy, making complaints or starting arguments over things that aren't important.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "a cantankerous neighbor;" "Their neighbor is cantankerous."

Other forms: 

Cantankerously, cantankerousness.

how to use it:

The word "cantankerous" is funny and mildly insulting. Despite being slangy, it appears in plenty of sophisticated texts. I like it because it just sounds like what it means, like "I can't take this!" And it's a semi-common word, which is excellent because most everyone will understand it and it'll still catch most everyone by surprise. This word is a winner, y'all.

You might use it in reference to fictional characters, historical characters, and, maybe, people you know. "In The Secret Garden, Mary befriends the cantankerous caretaker, Ben Weatherstaff."

Although "cantankerous" most often describes individual people, it can also describe moods, manners, personalities, comments, complains, conversations, etc. "Could we skip past this scene? It's just these two guys bickering cantankerously over nothing."

Feel free to get figurative and apply "cantankerous" to objects and other nonhuman things. Maybe your car, your fridge, or your printer is cantankerous. This writer has a propane barbecue that's "a cantankerous old beast."

examples:

"My favourite movie grandparent is Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine, a cantankerous, wisecracking drug addict who nevertheless gives his granddaughter the encouragement she needs to achieve her dreams."
— Tim Lott, The Guardian, 3 February 2017

"Paranorman deserves the love we give The Nightmare Before Christmas... Now, before I get to the plot, I want to win over the Nightmare Before Christmas set, because Santa knows they're a cantankerous bunch."
— Chris Plante, The Guardian, 1 November 2015

has this page helped you understand "cantankerous"?

   

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.


study it:

Explain the meaning of "cantankerous" without saying "quarrelsome" or "crotchety."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) is a cantankerous person who is angry (about something minor)."

Example 1: "I once had this cantankerous customer who was angry that she'd grabbed the wrong size envelope for a greeting card. She really wanted it to be my fault."

Example 2: "He seems to be a cantankerous fellow who is angry at the fog for some reason. Yet witty. 'The fog is so thick, you can't tie your shoe,' he says."
— Christopher White, Salon, 11 June 2018




before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for April is "Interpret the Titles: Tim Curry Edition!"

Are you a fan of Tim Curry? (How could anyone not be?) Did you know his birthday is in April? I didn't until I looked it up, but it’s the perfect excuse to base this month's game on his filmography. 

I'll give you the title of some show, movie, or video game that Tim Curry has starred in, along with a summary, and I'll challenge you to interpret the title in three different ways.

To see some examples, and some tips if you get stuck, head here!

Try this one today: "Legend" is a 1985 movie starring Tim Curry as a demon named Darkness. According to IMDb, in the movie, this demon "seeks to create eternal night by destroying the last of the unicorns and marrying a fairy Princess" but "is opposed by the forest boy Jack and his elven allies." Summing up the critical consensus, Rotten Tomatoes adds, "Not even Ridley Scott's gorgeously realized set pieces can save Legend from its own tawdry tale--though it may be serviceable for those simply looking for fantasy eye candy." Notably, the movie earned a much higher approval rating from audience members (73%) than critics (42%).

1. It's titled "Legend" because... ?

2. It's titled "Legend" because... ?

3. It's titled "Legend" because... ?

To see some possible answers, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. The opposite of CANTANKEROUS is

A. HONEST.
B. EASYGOING.
C. OPEN-MINDED.

2. _____ put me in a cantankerous mood.

A. My favorite song on the radio
B. A long delay at a crowded airport
C. The sight and sound of the deep blue ocean waves




Answers to the review questions:
1. B
2. B

Possible answers to the game question:

1. It's titled "Legend" because that's the genre of the film. It's a legend, or a fairy tale: a story of good vs. evil.

2. It's titled "Legend" because it's full of very simplistic tropes and characters, like easy-to-read symbols on a map.

3. It's titled "Legend" because it's fated to go down in movie history as a legendary underdog: trashed by critics, but cheered by fans.



a final word:


I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.


From my blog:
On vocabulary...
      36 ways to study words.
      Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
      How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
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      How to motivate our kids to write.
      How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
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A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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