- Today's Word
Ornery
[OR-nuh-ree]
Definition
- (noun) Someone who is bad-tempered, irritable, or difficult to deal with. An ornery person is often grumpy, stubborn, or combative, making them a challenge to be around.
Example
The old man’s ornery disposition made him a terror to his neighbors, as he would constantly complain about the slightest disturbances and pick fights over trivial matters.
Fun Fact
The word “ornery” is derived from the dialectal alteration of the word “ordinary,” which originally meant “commonplace” or “of poor quality.” Over time, the meaning shifted to describe someone who was ill-tempered or difficult, likely because people of lower social classes were stereotyped as being crude and bad-tempered.
(noun) A person who persistently provokes, annoys, or challenges others, especially those in positions of power or complacency, in order to stimulate change
The journalist had a reputation as a gadfly, asking the uncomfortable questions that everyone else in the room was too polite to raise.
Gadfly is a compound of gad — from the Old Norse gaddr, meaning “spike” or “sting” — and fly, referring to the actual biting insect that torments livestock. The literal gadfly is a large biting fly that drives cattle into a frenzy, and the metaphorical extension to people who persistently sting and provoke has been in use since at least the 16th century.