ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary Builder›Words›C›cantankerous
ISEE/SSAThard
cantankerous
bad-tempered and inclined to argue
Synonyms
- irritable
- ornery
- quarrelsome
Antonyms
- agreeable
- amiable
- easygoing
cantankerous in a sentence
The cantankerous shopkeeper argued with customers over minor details.
Even simple questions provoked a cantankerous reply from the exhausted official.
Where it comes from
Of uncertain origin; in English since the eighteenth century.
Memory hook
A cantankerous person says 'CAN'T' and turns every request into an argument.
Read it in context
- The Drift Above Science
Practice cantankerous in the app