- Today's Word
Cantankerous
[kan-TANG-ker-us]
Definition
- (adjective) Someone who is bad-tempered, argumentative, and difficult to deal with. A cantankerous person is often grumpy, irritable, and prone to complaining or disagreeing with others.
Example
The cantankerous old man on the corner was known for shouting at children who dared to step on his lawn and arguing with anyone who tried to engage him in conversation.
Fun Fact
The origin of “cantankerous” is uncertain, but it’s believed to have emerged in the late 18th century. Some linguists suggest it might be related to the Middle English word “contack,” meaning “quarrel,” or possibly derived from a combination of the words “cank” (to cackle like a goose) and “rancorous.” Regardless of its exact origins, it has become a colorful and expressive way to describe someone with a consistently difficult personality.
(verb) To criticize someone or something severely and publicly, often with harsh or scathing language.
The columnist excoriated the company’s leadership for ignoring repeated safety warnings.
Excoriate comes from the Latin excoriare, meaning “to strip off the skin,” from ex- (“off”) and corium (“hide” or “skin”). While the word originally described physical abrasion, its meaning shifted metaphorically over time to describe verbal attacks so harsh they feel skin-deep, leaving nothing protected.