- Ill-tempered and quarrelsome; disagreeable: disliked her cantankerous landlord.
- Difficult to handle: “had to use liquid helium, which is supercold, costly and cantankerous” (Boston Globe).
[Perhaps from Middle English contek, dissension (influenced by such words as rancorous and cankerous), from Anglo-Norman contec, possibly from Latin contāctus, past participle of contingere, to touch. See contact.]
cantankerously can·tan'ker·ous·ly adv.cantankerousness can·tan'ker·ous·ness n.




