adjective
stroppy
STRAH-pee/ˈstrɑːpi/
Bad-tempered and difficult to deal with.
The stroppy woman refuses to move her bag for the man with a cane.
Etymology
Stroppy is recorded as British nautical slang meaning “rebellious,” perhaps a slang reshaping of obstreperous. That possible source connects noisy opposition with the broader sense of resisting control or advice.
In context
they're behaving a little bit like a stroppy teenager who doesn't want to listen to the truth
More examples
- The tired toddler grows stroppy and refuses to get dressed.
- There’s no need to be stroppy; I’m only asking a question.
- Her stroppy reply makes a simple discussion much harder.
Forms
stroppy · stroppier · stroppiest
stroppiness noun — Bad temper and unwillingness to cooperate.
Similar words
- irritable
- Means easily annoyed, without necessarily being difficult or uncooperative.
- argumentative
- Emphasizes readiness to argue rather than general bad temper.
- cantankerous
- Suggests a habit of being cranky and argumentative.