ornery, ornerier, orneriest 1. Uncooperative and irritable. 2. Meager (stingy), whether out of poverty or lack of generosity. 3. Etymology: from about 1816, American Enlgish dialectal contraction of 'ordinary'. 'Commonplace', hence 'of poor quality, coarse, ugly.' By about 1860, the sense had evolved to being 'mean, cantankerous.' These words are...