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cranky

Pronunciation: /ˈkraŋki/

Translate cranky | into German | into Italian

Definition of cranky

adjective (crankier, crankiest)

1British informal eccentric or strange:a cranky scheme to pipe ground-level ozone into the stratosphere

2chiefly North American bad-tempered; irritable:he was cranky after eight hours of working

3(of a machine) working erratically:after a juddering landing the cranky plane eased up the runway

Derivatives

crankily
crankiness

Origin:

late 18th century (in the sense 'sickly, in poor health'): perhaps from obsolete (counterfeit) crank 'a rogue feigning sickness', from Dutch or German krank 'sick'