ORNERY


Meaning of ORNERY in English

or ‧ ne ‧ ry /ˈɔːnəri $ ˈɔːr-/ BrE AmE adjective American English

[ Date: 1800-1900 ; Origin: ordinary ]

behaving in an unreasonable and often angry way, especially by doing the opposite of what people want you to do:

an ornery kid

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THESAURUS

▪ stubborn refusing to change your mind, even when people think you are wrong or are being unreasonable:

Dave can be really stubborn once he’s made up his mind.

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a stubborn old man

▪ obstinate very stubborn, in way that is annoying and unreasonable:

I have never met anyone so obstinate.

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his obstinate refusal to compromise

▪ pig-headed informal refusing to change your mind, even when people think that what you want to do is stupid:

I told her she was making a big mistake but she was too pig-headed to listen.

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I wish you’d stop being so pig-headed!

▪ headstrong very determined to do what you want, often without thinking about the results of your actions – used especially about young people:

As a girl, she had been lively and headstrong.

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the headstrong impulsiveness of youth

▪ wilful British English ( also willful American English ) doing what you want, even after you have been told to stop, or when you know that it is wrong – used especially about children:

He was a spoiled and wilful child, who always got his own way.

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She was passionate and wilful – exactly the sort of creature a man ought to avoid.

▪ ornery American English behaving in an unreasonable and often angry way, especially by doing the opposite of what people want you to do:

an ornery kid

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Teenagers can be ornery and rude.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.