CANTANKEROUS Meaning of CANTANKEROUS in English a. ( Colloq. ) Crabbed, perverse, stubborn, obstinate, unyielding, refractory, contumacious, headstrong, wilful, dogged, intractable, heady, obdurate, stiff, cross-grained. Soule. Dictionary of English synonyms. Словарь английских синонимов. 2012