Ornery meaning

English Dictionary. Word Lists. Grammar English Easy Learning Grammar.

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. 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 ordinary , and for some while it had the same meaning. Soon enough, however, it began to take on some of the more negative aspects of ordinary. It was used to describe things that were common, and especially common things of inferior quality. Next, it developed a sense synonymous with lazy. Those lazy folks dubbed "ornery" were also apparently easily annoyed and touchy.

Ornery meaning

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. We had some pretty ornery people, and we had to find a way to compromise and get things done. 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. I felt so ornery and low down and mean that I says to myself, my mind's made up; I'll hive that money for them or bust. The Irish may be ornery , and they aint worth much, but they are a whole lot better than the —— —— Dutch. I'm for the Union as she air, and withered be the arm of every ornery cuss who attempts to bust her up. The jail was a ornery edifiss, but the table was librally surplied with Bakin an Cabbidge. First recorded in —; contraction of ordinary. I taught myself to lucid dream. You can too.

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

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.

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.

Ornery meaning

English Dictionary. Word Lists. Grammar English Easy Learning Grammar. Grammar Patterns. English Usage. Teaching Resources. Video Guides. Video Learn English. Video pronunciations.

Hannah cheramy naked

Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription View our subscription options. See etymology. Simplified to English. He had been in an ornery mood all day , arguing with everyone who got in his way. What's the History of ornery? Hindi to English. Chinese English to Simplified. Collins English Dictionary. Grammar English Easy Learning Grammar. Some very interesting words come from Africa - here are a few combinations that can be useful in squeezing a high score from a tricky rack.

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. 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 ordinary , and for some while it had the same meaning.

Dictionary Entries Near ornery. They have a large family; so there were tons of kids of all ages there. Check See the answer Next Next quiz Review. I felt so ornery and low down and mean that I says to myself, my mind's made up; I'll hive that money for them or bust. Take the quiz. Example from the Hansard archive. As a learner of English it can be difficult to navigate sensitive issues. Read about the team of authors behind Collins Dictionaries. The experience helped me to understand my emotions toward her in a way I never could have managed as an ornery year-old. Add to word list Add to word list. The old lady was still being ornery, but at least she had consented to this visit.