How to Use irascible in a Sentence

irascible

adjective
  • He has an irascible disposition.
  • Berry was his irascible self during the filming of the film, Hail!
    — Jeff Slate, Esquire, 19 Mar. 2017
  • The more the rest of the world complains, the more irascible China sounds.
    — The Economist, 24 May 2018
  • This guy is erratic and difficult and irascible, and all of that is fun to play.
    — Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2020
  • The fate of one irascible canine, however, spurs her to vie for a spot on the training team.
    — Robert Abele, latimes.com, 8 June 2017
  • For the irascible Greg, a column about grammar is a no-brainer.
    — Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
  • Julia is playing a version of herself that is more irascible.
    — Thr Staff, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Nothing adds depth to an irascible curmudgeon quite like an irrational love of pets that do not love you back.
    — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2025
  • Nothing adds depth to an irascible curmudgeon quite like an irrational love of pets that do not love you back.
    — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
  • The old woman, whom Benji calls his Bubbe, has a brusque and irascible manner.
    — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022
  • Seeing irascible old coots soften when in the presence of cherubic little nuggets gets me every time.
    — Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 20 May 2025
  • An irascible, down-on-his-luck coach is reluctantly put in charge of a ragtag team of misfits who can barely play the game.
    — Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2023
  • So the brilliant, grumpy and irascible priest of old times is gone, and — with him — goes a priceless oral history of the blues and thousands of songs.
    — George Varga, sandiegouniontribune.com, 10 July 2018
  • She may be best known for the character of the irascible Ramona Quimby.
    — Kathy Laskowski, sun-sentinel.com, 28 Mar. 2021
  • Trump has often seemed eager to move on from the Army three-star general, who has struggled to bond with his irascible boss.
    — James Hohmann, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2018
  • No true irascible aging genius worth his salt is without a ready supply of white socks brightening up the chest of drawers.
    — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
  • On paper, the irascible Thomas was the polar opposite of his protégé.
    — Grace Segers, The New Republic, 11 Aug. 2022
  • Princeton was led by Carril, the school’s irascible, diminutive coach who passed away in August.
    — Sean Gregory, Time, 11 Dec. 2022
  • Few expect the sometimes-irascible politician to sit by idly in a future Arce government.
    — Carlos Valdez and Joshua Goodman, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2020
  • Gabriella Fanuele is prickly and irascible as Jania, who works with the school’s special needs students.
    — Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2019
  • The shows were appointment listening because one never knew who or what might set off with the irascible former Bears coach.
    — Phil Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
  • In contrast to the mild, placid Allen, Mahaney is an irascible mountain man who could start an argument in an empty room.
    — Smithsonian, 28 June 2017
  • In contrast to the mild, placid Allen, Mahaney is an irascible mountain man who could start an argument in an empty room.
    — Smithsonian, 29 July 2017
  • Much is known about the rotund Butler, an irascible, brilliant, cruel and sometimes-corrupt lawyer and politician.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2021
  • Paul, on track to win a third term this year, has promised to investigate the origins of the pandemic, a pet issue for the irascible conservative.
    — Trish Turner, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2022
  • The coach of the team, Tarrant, an irascible, former Marine, allowed outsiders to come watch practice.
    — Joe Vardon, New York Times, 11 May 2026
  • Jefferson claimed that under Adams’s crusty surface, the irascible Yankee was as warm and amiable as a person could be.
    — Gordon S. Wood, WSJ, 13 Oct. 2017
  • This 6-episode Netflix docuseries is about the irascible, fearless reporter who went on TV, day after day, and railed against the mafia.
    — Andy Meek, BGR, 26 July 2022
  • The tone foreshadows what would surely be an irascible campaign if the answer to the question about whether DeSantis is running is yes.
    — Manuel Roig-Franzia, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2023
  • Fans of the show remember Tarantina as Jackie, the irascible emcee at the Gaslight comedy club.
    — Washington Post, 23 Jan. 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'irascible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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