cranky UK /kɹænki/US /kɹæŋki/ adjective6 •Grouchy, grumpy, irritable; easily upset.He got home from a long day at work tired and cranky. •Not in perfect mental working order; eccentric, peculiar.Uncle Esau is as cranky as hell, and a peculiar old duck, but I think he'll like a fine upstanding young man as big as you be. — 1934 •Not in good working condition; defective, faulty.We had seven canoes, all of them dugouts. One was small, one was cranky, and two were old, waterlogged, and leaky. The other three were good. — 1914 •Synonym of crank (“of a ship: liable to capsize because of poorly stowed cargo or insufficient ballast”). •(no longer used) Full of spirit; spirited. •(no longer used) Weak, unwell. formscrankier · crankiest