crabbedness

If such voluntary tasks, pleasure and delight, or crabbedness of these studies, will not yet divert their idle thoughts, and alienate their imaginations, they must be compelled, saith Christophorus a

Anatomy of Melancholy 2007

And thus ended what, little as they knew it, was to be the last of their many confidential talks on the subject of Richard, his frowardness and crabbedness, his innate inability to fit himself to life.

Ultima Thule 2003

American sense, as indicating a blend of currishness and crabbedness.

Pan-Islam

Accustomed to a written character, their eyes became wearied by the crabbedness and formality of type.

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 55, No. 339, January, 1844 Various

The reader however cannot help wishing that he had taken some means to diminish the crabbedness of his style.

Guide to Stoicism St. George William Joseph Stock

At least it was tenderness in her: in another person her voice and manner might have been taken for crabbedness and impatience.

Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 17, No. 102, June, 1876 Various

It was yankee crabbedness that gave Homer his grip on the idea he had in mind.

Adventures in the Arts Informal Chapters on Painters, Vaudeville, and Poets Marsden Hartley

Mr. James Jennings has favoured us with a copy of his _Ornithologia; or the Birds_, a poem; with copious _Notes; _ &c. The latter portion is to us the most interesting, especially as it contains an immense body of valuable research into the history and economy of birds, in a pleasant, piquant, anecdotical style, without any of the quaintness or crabbedness of scientific technicality.

The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 13, No. 360, March 14, 1829 Various

He wrongly interprets _natural_ self-defense as a sign of habitual crabbedness.

Certain Success Norval A. Hawkins

A freedom, both from girlish frivolities, and old-maidish crabbedness and prudery.

The Continental Monthly, Vol 2, No 6, December 1862 Devoted to Literature and National Policy Various