What does crossness mean?
Crossness is the noun form of the adjective 'cross', denoting a state of mild ill temper — irritability, peevishness, or grumpiness rather than outright anger. It captures that familiar, low-level bad mood that makes someone snap over small things: a child who is tired and hungry, an adult who has slept poorly, anyone worn down by a string of minor annoyances. Because it names a temper rather than an emotion's cause, crossness is useful precisely where 'anger' feels too strong and 'annoyance' too weak. The word is used most frequently in British English and tends to appear in domestic or everyday contexts — descriptions of toddlers, household friction, letters of gentle apology ('I regret my crossness this morning'). Its connotations are mild and even faintly affectionate; to speak of someone's crossness is rarely damning, and often suggests the mood is temporary and forgivable. For writers seeking precise gradations of temperament, crossness fills a genuine gap on the spectrum between cheerfulness and fury.
nounThe quality or state of being cross; ill-tempered irritability or peevishness, especially of a mild or transient kind.
- A mild, irritable bad temper; peevishness.
- (Chiefly British) The state of being annoyed or out of sorts.
"The toddler's crossness melted away the moment she saw her grandmother at the door."
"He apologised for his crossness, admitting he had slept badly and snapped at everyone at breakfast."
"There was an unmistakable note of crossness in her voice as she asked, once again, who had left the gate open."
Rarely pluralised; the singular form is almost always used even when referring to repeated instances.
"His crossnesses were few and quickly forgotten."
Crossness is what happens when 'being cross' stops being a mood and becomes a noun you can be accused of.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of crossness
Crossness derives from 'cross', which in Middle English came to mean ill-tempered or contrary — a figurative extension of the word's core sense of something lying athwart or opposed (ultimately from Old Norse 'kross' and Latin 'crux'). The adjective 'cross' meaning 'peevish' was well established by the sixteenth century, and the abstract noun 'crossness' was formed from it with the suffix '-ness', first appearing in English in the seventeenth century. Related forms include the adverb 'crossly' and the verb phrase 'to be cross'.
Related word forms
How crossness is actually used
Crossness is a relatively mild register word: it describes ordinary grumpiness rather than rage, and is common in British English, often in domestic contexts involving children or everyday annoyances. It is somewhat old-fashioned in tone but still in regular use.
Easily confused with crossness
Crudeness refers to a lack of refinement or tact, whereas crossness refers to ill temper and irritability.