Crabbiness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of being irritable or easily annoyed is often described by this term
2. This term refers to an attitude characterized by a grumpy or sour demeanor, showing dissatisfaction
3. It denotes a mood marked by frequent complaints or an overall displeased disposition

Etymology: Crabbiness is a plain English formation: the adjective "crabby" with the suffix "-ness" added, which turns a quality into a noun. The adjective "crabby" is itself built on "crab" (the sea creature, and also a word for a sour, cross-grained person) with the suffix "-y", a common ending that makes an adjective meaning "characterised by" or "full of" the base noun. Its roots run back through Old English, where the suffix "-nes" (the ancestor of "-ness") was attached to adjectives to form abstract nouns. The suffix has a long pedigree. "-ness" descends from Proto-Germanic forms that were used to build nouns of state and quality, and it has been productive in English for over a thousand years, so it can be attached to almost any adjective to name the condition of being that thing. Crabbiness therefore needs no special coinage: once "crabby" existed, "crabbiness" followed naturally as the name for the state of being crabby.

Synonyms: irritability, testiness, grumpiness, surliness, petulance

Antonyms: cheerfulness, calmness, serenity, satisfaction, contentment