Tuesday, September 24
Cantankerous
[kan-tang-kə-rəs]
Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Unknown, 18th century
1.
Contentious
2.
Uncooperative
Examples of Cantankerous in a sentence
"Our cantankerous mule has never been very cooperative, but he's only gotten worse with age."
"My grandfather was known to be cantankerous, though he did have a kind side as well."
Popularity Over Time
About Cantankerous
While mules are stereotypically believed to be stubborn and cantankerous, they're actually quite intelligent and generally cooperative. However, their intelligence gives them a long memory — so if they have a bad experience doing something, they're unlikely to do it a second time.
Did you Know?
While the origins of cantankerous can't be definitively pinpointed, one theory suggests that it started as a blend of the words contentious and rancorous.
Trending Words
Trending on the blog
