Grumpy

How to spell grumpy

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce grumpy

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does grumpy mean?

1. adjectiveBad-tempered and irritable, often in a sulky or complaining way.

Grumpy in a sentence

• He gets grumpy if he misses his morning coffee.

• The toddler was tired and grumpy by the end of the long flight.

Where does grumpy come from?

Language of origin: Other

This word grew out of the noun 'grump', which appeared in English in the early eighteenth century to mean a fit of ill humour or sulkiness. 'Grump' itself was almost certainly imitative in origin, formed from a cluster of words like 'grumble' and 'grunt' that mimic the low, complaining noises an irritated person makes. By around 1778 writers had added the common adjective ending '-y' to produce 'grumpy', describing someone full of such bad temper. For a time people even spoke of 'the grumps' as a mood, much as we still speak of having 'the blues'. Because the word is built so plainly from a familiar root plus '-y', its spelling rarely causes trouble, though the single 'm' can briefly tempt writers who half-remember the double 'm' of 'grumble'.

How the word is built

• grump (a fit of ill humour, of imitative origin)
• -y (adjective suffix meaning 'full of' or 'inclined to')