Ornery means having an irritable, stubborn, or cantankerous disposition and being difficult to deal with. It can also describe a playful, mischievous tendency to cause a bit of trouble.
What does ornery mean?
Most often, ornery describes someone bad-tempered and hard to get along with. Merriam-Webster gives the core sense as having an irritable disposition and being cantankerous. An ornery neighbor is grumpy and easily annoyed, and an ornery mule is stubborn and resistant to being led.
Can ornery be playful?
Yes. Alongside the grumpy sense, ornery can carry a lighter, teasing meaning of mischievous, describing a playful tendency to stir up a little trouble. A grandparent might call a giggling, rule-bending child ornery with clear affection rather than complaint. Tone and context signal which sense is meant.
Where does the word come from?
Ornery is an alteration of ordinary. In early American use it was a clipped, dialect pronunciation of ordinary, and over time it drifted from meaning plain or common to meaning ill-tempered and hard to handle. It dates to roughly the late 1700s. The shift is a reminder that a word’s sound and sense can wander a long way from its source.
How is ornery used in a sentence?
You might write that the ornery old cat swipes at anyone who comes close, or that he was too ornery to admit he was wrong. In a playful register, you might say the kids were feeling ornery and hid their uncle’s keys.
What are synonyms for ornery?
Near synonyms include cantankerous, cranky, grouchy, irritable, and stubborn. For the playful sense, mischievous and impish fit best. Antonyms include agreeable, easygoing, and good-natured.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does ornery mean?
It means having an irritable, stubborn, or cantankerous disposition and being difficult to deal with.
Can ornery mean playful?
Yes. It can also describe a mischievous, playful tendency to cause a little trouble.
Where does ornery come from?
It is an alteration of the word ordinary, dating to roughly the late 1700s.
Is ornery formal or informal?
It is informal and common in American and regional speech.