as in irritable
having or showing a habitually bad temper
an ornery old man who always yells at the neighborhood kids to keep off his lawn
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ornery
But when Chief, the ornery stray, gets overruled into helping his pack assist a boy who’s crash-landed on their trash island, Cranston really nails it.
—
Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025
The ornery character actor Richard Kind is his announcer, barking non sequiturs from behind a podium.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2025
That puts him in league with ornery old-timers being refused entry into supermarkets, where customers queue outside, standing six feet apart.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
An ornery Ball Arena audience erupted when its team somehow grasped a 71-69 lead.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ornery
Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025
The ornery character actor Richard Kind is his announcer, barking non sequiturs from behind a podium.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2025
That puts him in league with ornery old-timers being refused entry into supermarkets, where customers queue outside, standing six feet apart.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
An ornery Ball Arena audience erupted when its team somehow grasped a 71-69 lead.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ornery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ornery
Adjective
-
Determined to make a clean SPF, Brown says a chemical formula was out of the question (chemical sunscreens are often thought to be unsafe for the coral reef and irritable to sensitive skin types).—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
9 July 2025
-
In my own experience, poor sleep has frequently been the reason behind feeling tired and irritable.—
Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt,
CNN Money,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
Most of the time, Superman is depressed or angry or getting beat to a pulp or having cans thrown at him or getting arrested.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
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Others were frustrated—some even outright angry—that the Commission fell short of declaring all forms of obesity a disease and instead recommended a more nuanced clinical diagnosis.—
Francesco Rubino,
Time,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
The story isn't linear and sometimes the character's main motivation can be reduced to the moodiness of cantankerous old men.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
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This isn’t just the opinion of some cantankerous Boomers who want those pesky Gen-Z kids to turn down their loud music and get off the lawn; globally, study after study has demonstrated that Gen-Z has historically low financial literacy levels.—
Benjamin van der Lande,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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This is exactly the productive, surly, still-in-his-prime player this team needs down the middle.—
Scott Powers,
New York Times,
14 June 2025
-
Rostov is exiled to the servants’ quarters in the attic, stripped of most of his possessions, and is kept under constant surveillance by a surly KGB operative (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson).—
Rob Salkowitz,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Even though his bloodwork looked normal six months previously, sudden onset or acute renal failure can happen in an old dog for no apparent reason other than age and result in bilious vomiting.—
Dr. John De Jong,
Boston Herald,
8 June 2025
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Under Nézet-Séguin, the musicians do the job spectacularly, releasing all those bilious harmonies and seething rhythms in an unbroken two-hour spasm of excitement.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Marina’s imperious grandmother (Marina Troncoso) is a disagreeable snob, more concerned with getting a mani-pedi or keeping leaves out of her precious swimming pool than getting to know her granddaughter.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
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Befriending Cressida Cowper is a respectable exercise in recognizing biases, but the pair’s interactions are as disagreeable as those bangs.—
Zoe Haylock,
Vulture,
16 May 2024
Cite this Entry
“Ornery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ornery. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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