1
be a curmudgeon
curmudgeon 是名词，指脾气坏、固执的老人，语气诙谐或略带贬义。
My grandfather is a curmudgeon.
我爷爷是个脾气坏、固执的人。
脾气坏、固执的老人；乖戾的老人
curmudgeons — plural of curmudgeon
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
脾气坏、固执的老人；乖戾的老人
a bad-tempered, stubborn old person who is easily annoyed
My grandfather is a curmudgeon.
我爷爷是个脾气坏、固执的人。
脾气暴躁、固执己见的人,常指老年男性。
An ill-tempered person full of stubborn ideas or opinions, often an older man.
The old man next door is a bit of a curmudgeon, but he always feeds the stray cats.
隔壁的老人脾气有点坏，但他总是喂流浪猫。
Our retired neighbor is a friendly curmudgeon who grumbles about everything yet helps everyone.
我们退休的邻居是个友善但爱发牢骚的老人，他对什么事都抱怨，却愿意帮助每个人。
The curmudgeons at the café complained about the new music every single morning.
咖啡馆里那些脾气坏的老人每天早晨都抱怨新音乐。
curmudgeon 是名词，指脾气坏、固执的老人，语气诙谐或略带贬义。
My grandfather is a curmudgeon.
我爷爷是个脾气坏、固执的人。
The article called him a curmudgeon.
那篇文章称他是个脾气坏、固执的人。
Not this
He is old curmudgeon who lives next door.
Use this
He is an old curmudgeon who lives next door.
curmudgeon 是可数名词，单数可数名词作表语时前面必须有冠词。中文没有冠词，所以学习者容易漏掉 an，应说 an old curmudgeon。
Not this
My little brother is a curmudgeon when he doesn't get what he wants.
Use this
My little brother is a grouch when he doesn't get what he wants.
curmudgeon 在词典释义中特指“脾气坏、固执的老人”，不能用来形容小孩。表示小孩发脾气时应用 grouch 等不带年龄限制的词，以保留原意。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
乖戾的老人
The old curmudgeon next door always complains about the noise.
隔壁那个乖戾的老人总是抱怨吵闹声。
可爱的老顽固
Despite his complaints, he is a lovable curmudgeon.
尽管他爱抱怨，他却是个可爱的老顽固。
暴躁乖戾的人
The cantankerous curmudgeon refused to let anyone park in front of his house.
那个暴躁乖戾的老人不让任何人把车停在他家门前。
变成乖戾的人
He became a curmudgeon after he retired.
退休后他变成了一个乖戾的人。
职业坏脾气者
The columnist is a professional curmudgeon who criticizes everything.
那位专栏作家是个职业坏脾气者，对一切都加以批评。
Use curmudgeons naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
想象一只坏脾气的老狗(cur)在泥(mud)里打滚，谁靠近就吼——curmudgeon 就是暴躁固执的老头。
语域：informal 常见场景：casual conversation、humorous or sarcastic articles curmudgeon 多用于口语或带幽默、讽刺意味的语境，语气不太正式，常指脾气不好且固执的老人。正式写作中较少见，但偶尔出现于文学描写。
与 curmudgeon 押韵的词（重读元音及后续音相同）有 bludgeon、dudgeon、gudgeon（均以 /ʌdʒən/ 结尾）。注意 dungeon 拼写相似但读音为 /ˈdʌndʒən/，多一个 /n/ 音，并非完全押韵；pigeon（/ˈpɪdʒɪn/）和 surgeon（/ˈsɜːrdʒən/）拼写相近但元音不同。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.