Ornery meaning

Readers who are familiar with one of the more common senses of ornery ornery meaning might well be surprised to learn that the word is an alteration of the word ordinaryornery meaning, as this root word has little to do with feelings of peevishness. Yet this is the case, and there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for how this meaning came about. Ornery was first used in American regional speech in the beginning of the 19th century as a simple variant of ordinaryand for some while it had the same meaning. Soon enough, however, it began to take on some of the more ornery meaning aspects of ordinary, ornery meaning.

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Ornery meaning

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the adjective ornery. Etymons: ordinary adj. Sign in with library card. Sign in as administrator on Oxford Academic. Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into ornery, adj. Please include your email address if you are happy to be contacted about your feedback. OUP will not use this email address for any other purpose. Skip to main content. Dictionary Historical Thesaurus. What does the adjective ornery mean? This word is used in North American English. About 0. See frequency. How is the adjective ornery pronounced?

Geoff Edgers April 15, Washington Post. Nglish: Translation of ornery for Spanish Speakers.

Add to word list Add to word list. He had been in an ornery mood all day , arguing with everyone who got in his way. Synonyms cantankerous. Examples of ornery. This important insight illuminates and explains responses and behavior that otherwise seem peculiar, ornery , or perverse. From the Cambridge English Corpus.

Words related to ornery are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word ornery. Browse related words to learn more about word associations. The experience helped me to understand my emotions toward her in a way I never could have managed as an ornery year-old. The characters you play on the show are extremely diverse—ranging from a cocaine-rattled rich boy to an ornery Jewish grandpa. The budding relationship between the ornery sexagenarian and the precocious young child ultimately gives the film its momentum. With Nebraska, however, the movie received a minute standing ovation by the famously ornery French crowd. He's an ornery cuss kind of Republican, extremely critical of Bush and Cheney back in the day. With a roast apple in his snout, and a ribbon—a blue—no, a pink ribbon decorating his ornery little tail.

Ornery meaning

Modern lexicographers tend to avoid inserting their own character into definitions; it's difficult enough to accurately define the messiness that is the English language without having to worry about whether one's own foibles or prejudices are muddying the semantic waters. Samuel Johnson, famous for the occasional definitional bon mot he defined lexicographer as "a harmless drudge" gets a pass, but he's not all that modern. However, every so often we come across a definition which, although it would probably not pass muster in today's dictionaries, makes this sort of editorializing seem reasonable. As when Bret Harte defined ornery as "Corruption of 'ordinary,' with a spice of contempt.

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Video Build your vocabulary. Follow us. Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge! Readers who are familiar with one of the more common senses of ornery "irritable" might well be surprised to learn that the word is an alteration of the word ordinary , as this root word has little to do with feelings of peevishness. Choose your language. As a learner of English it can be difficult to navigate sensitive issues. Get Word of the Day daily email! Tools to create your own word lists and quizzes. Surrender to it. Translations of ornery in Chinese Traditional. English—Swedish Swedish—English. Pronunciation Guide.

Readers who are familiar with one of the more common senses of ornery "irritable" might well be surprised to learn that the word is an alteration of the word ordinary , as this root word has little to do with feelings of peevishness.

And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom. Korean English to Korean. Those lazy folks dubbed "ornery" were also apparently easily annoyed and touchy. Feedback required. Browse alphabetically ornery. Build your vocabulary. The Woman Gives Owen Johnson. British Dictionary definitions for ornery. Follow us. Word of the Year. Etymons: ordinary adj. Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?