ˈkrabə̇d adjective
Etymology: Middle English, partly from crabbe (crustacean), partly from crabbe (crab apple) + ed
1.
a. : perversely obstinate : intractable , contrary
he sets out his theory with such ingenuity … that it would be a crabbed mind indeed that didn't respond — R.J.Cruikshank
b. : out of humor : cross , petulant
the only audible response in this country should be a crabbed and jaundiced bickering — Economist
2. : characterized by harshness or roughness : bitter
a crabbed satirist
crabbed wit
3. obsolete : crooked , gnarled , rough
4. : difficult to understand : intricate , obscure
crabbed style
the crabbed complexities of fine automotive machinery — Newsweek
his mature compositions are generally considered the more cerebral and crabbed — Sarah R. Watson
5. of handwriting : difficult to read
wrote laboriously in his old man's crabbed hand — Verne Athanas
Synonyms: see sullen