gruñón
/ɡɾuˈɲon/
To say grumpy in Spanish, use gruñón. It describes a person who is irritable and easily annoyed. If unsure, use gruñón. Wiktionary also lists rezongón and moshudo.
Meaning: dissatisfied and irritable (adj)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| gruñón | /ɡɾuˈɲon/ | |
| rezongón | /reθonɡon/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /resonɡon/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
|
| moshudo | /mosudo/ (from spelling rules) | Guatemala |
gruñón describes someone with a sour, irritable temper, such as a person who complains a lot or is often in a bad mood.
What does it mean word for word?
gruñón comes from the verb gruñir, which means to growl or grunt.
Which one should you use?
gruñón points to a generally grumpy temperament, while rezongón stresses the habit of grumbling or complaining out loud. Informal alternatives include Cascarrabias, Refunfuñón/a and Malgeniado/a.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Guatemala, moshudo is a regional word for grumpy. In Mexico, amargado/a can also describe a grumpy person.
How does it change in a sentence?
gruñón changes for gender and number. Use gruñona for a woman and gruñones for the masculine plural.
How do you pronounce it?
The IPA is /ɡɾuˈɲon/. The stress falls on the last syllable, and the middle sound is like the ny in canyon.
Did you know?
- While gruñón is a standard adjective, the term cascarrabias literally evokes the image of someone who 'breaks' things with their temper, coming from cascar meaning to crack or break.
- The suffix -ón in gruñón is an augmentative, meaning the word doesn't just describe someone who grumbles, but someone who does it in a big or excessive way.
- While gruñón describes a person's mood, if you use amargado, you are literally calling them 'bitter', as if they have a bitter taste in their mouth.
Examples in context
- Se volvió huraño y gruñón con el tiempo.He became sullen and grumpy over time.Here gruñón describes how someone's character changed over time.Tatoeba #9246770 by diegohn, translation #11101564 by DJ_Saidez
- Tom era muy gruñón.Tom was really grumpy.Here gruñón follows muy to say really grumpy.Tatoeba #8104667 by Goatstein, translation #7733434 by CK
- Mi jefe siempre está malhumorado los lunesMy boss is always grumpy on Mondays
- Mis vecinos están de mal humor hoyMy neighbors are grumpy today
- Mi abuelo es un hombre gruñónMy grandfather is a grumpy man
- Desperté enojado y pasé todo el día de mal humorI woke up angry and spent the whole day grumpy
- Mi hermano menor siempre está refunfuñón por las mañanasMy younger brother is always grumpy in the mornings
- Desde que perdió su trabajo, mi vecino está muy amargadoSince he lost his job, my neighbor has been very grumpy
- Después de un día agotador, todos estamos un poco malgeniadosAfter a tiring day, we're all a bit grumpy
- Mi hermana siempre está malhumorada cuando no duerme lo suficienteMy sister is always grumpy when she doesn't get enough sleep
- Carlos es un cascarrabias, pero en el fondo tiene buen corazónCarlos is grumpy, but deep down he has a good heart
- No sé por qué estás tan refunfuñón, la vida es hermosaI don't know why you're so grumpy, life is beautiful
- Desde que perdió su trabajo, Juan está de mal humor todo el tiempoSince he lost his job, Juan is in a bad mood all the time
- Mi abuelo es un hombre gruñón.My grandfather is a grumpy man.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena is asking Alejandro why he is acting so moody.
- AlejandroNo tengo ganas de hablar con nadie.I don't feel like talking to anyone.
- ElenaHoy estás muy gruñón, Alejandro.You are very grumpy today, Alejandro.
- AlejandroSolo estoy cansado del trabajo.I'm just tired from work.
- ElenaLo entiendo, pero no seas tan serio.I understand, but don't be so serious.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grumpy” translations and entries gruñón, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
