Ornery
/ˈɔːrnəri/noun
Bad-tempered, stubborn, or difficult to deal with.
Did you know?Ornery is a dialectal American English reshaping of ordinary, showing how a word meaning “common” can be twisted by sound and attitude into “contrary” or “cantankerous.”
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
ordinary
“Common, usual, or customary.”
18th Century
English
ornary
“A dialectal reduced form of ordinary, especially in American English.”
19th Century
English
ornery
“Contrary, stubborn, difficult, or mean-spirited.”
Modern English
English
ornery
“Bad-tempered, stubborn, or hard to deal with.”
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