Literary notes about Cantankerous (AI summary)
In literature, the term "cantankerous" is frequently used to evoke a sense of irritable stubbornness and crankiness, serving as a shorthand for a character’s or creature’s difficult, often curmudgeonly nature. Writers apply it to a wide spectrum of figures—from a villainous old scoundrel whose bitter disposition colors every interaction [1] to an obstinate character whose unruly temperament softens with affection and humor [2, 3]. It also appears in portrayals of nonhuman entities or inanimate objects, giving life to voices or actions that might otherwise lack character, as seen in depictions of grouchy animal behavior or even a rebellious clock’s “stroke” [4, 5]. This flexible usage allows authors to underscore both the comic and the severe side of personality, enriching their narratives with a single, evocative adjective.
- If there ever was a cantankerous old scoundrel, Wolansky was just that identical individual!"
— from The Long Arm by Franz Nabl - But I s’pose, Anne, to be fair, I was cantankerous too.
— from Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery - And as Nicholas expressed it to himself: 'Cantankerous chap Roger—always was!'
— from The Forsyte Saga, Volume I. by John Galsworthy - I heard the kitchen clock with its cracked, cantankerous stroke beat out eleven.
— from Memoirs of a Midget - In fact, the great grunting beast was surly and cantankerous from the first.
— from The Secret Trails by Roberts, Charles G. D., Sir
