cascarrabias
/kaskaˈrabjas/
The Spanish word for crabby is cascarrabias.
cascarrabias is used to describe someone who is irritated or grouchy. While it can be used as an adjective to describe a person's mood, it is very frequently used as a noun to describe a person who is habitually grumpy.
Meaning: irritated (adj)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, people may use the word enojón/enojona to express being crabby.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word cascarrabias is invariable in gender and number, meaning it does not change for masculine, feminine, singular or plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/kaskaˈrabjas/
Did you know?
- The root rabia is also the word used for 'rabies', linking the concept of a 'crabby' person to a state of intense, almost animalistic fury.
- The word cascarrabias is actually a combination of the verb cascar, meaning 'to crack' or 'to smash', and rabias, which refers to 'rages'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, describing someone as a cascarrabias can feel slightly more affectionate or old-fashioned than using more modern, blunt terms for anger.
Examples in context
- Estoy malhumorado/a hoyI'm grumpy today.
- Hoy estoy de malasI'm in a bad mood today.
- Mi jefe está muy malhumorado hoy. No le hables por ahora.My boss is very grumpy today. Don't talk to him right now.
- Estás de mala leche hoy, ¿verdad? ¿Qué te pasó?You're in a bad mood today, aren't you? What happened?
- Mi abuelo es un viejo cascarrabias.My grandfather is a grumpy old man.
- No seas cascarrabias hoy, por favor.Don't be so crabby today, please.
- Ese jefe cascarrabias siempre nos regaña.That irritable boss is always scolding us.
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are talking about a coworker during a coffee break.
- Elena¿Viste que Luis está muy cascarrabias hoy?Did you see that Luis is very crabby today?
- AlejandroSí, es un hombre muy cascarrabias por las mañanas.Yes, he is a very grumpy man in the mornings.
- ElenaEs difícil trabajar con alguien así.It is hard to work with someone like that.
- AlejandroTienes razón, Elena.You are right, Elena.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry cascarrabias, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cascarrabias, CC BY-SA 4.0.
