Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ



Feb 7, 2013
This week's theme
Words to describe people

This week's words
impetuous
uxorious
implacable
cantankerous
impudent

Discuss
Feedback
RSS/XML
Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

cantankerous

PRONUNCIATION:
(kan-TANG-kuhr-uhs)

MEANING:
adjective: Difficult to deal with: ill-tempered, quarrelsome.

ETYMOLOGY:
Of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Middle English contak (contention). Earliest documented use: 1736.

USAGE:
"Justin Wolff makes clear that Thomas Hart Benton had a difficult if not volcanic personality. Among the adjectives he uses to describe him are surly, belligerent, arrogant, pugnacious, combative, gruff, inflexible, cantankerous, argumentative, churlish, cruel, and blunt."
Terry Hartle; Thomas Hart Benton: A Life; The Christian Science Monitor (Boston); May 21, 2012.

See more usage examples of cantankerous in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Every burned book or house enlightens the world; every suppressed or expunged word reverberates through the earth from side to side. -Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith