crossly

crossly — adverb

1. showing mild anger or annoyance through your tone, expression, or actions

1.adverbB2
Definition

showing mild anger or annoyance through your tone, expression, or actions

Example

The teacher spoke crossly to the students who were still talking after the bell rang.

collocation: spoke crossly to — adverb with verb of speech + preposition

"I have already told you three times," said Aiko crossly.

reporting verb said + adverb for tone

Common collocations
  • spoke crossly
  • said crossly
  • replied crossly
  • looked crossly at
  • sighed crossly
  • asked crossly
Synonyms
  • angrily

    stronger and more common than crossly; suggests genuine rage rather than mild irritation

  • irritably

    closer in intensity to crossly; emphasises a touchy, easily-annoyed mood

  • testily

    implies impatience and sharpness, often in speech, similar register to crossly

Antonyms
  • cheerfully

    opposite in mood — a cheerful manner shows happiness, not annoyance

  • pleasantly

    opposite in social effect — a pleasant manner is agreeable rather than irritable

Usage Note

Frequently paired with verbs of speech (said, replied, asked, told) and verbs of looking (looked, glared). Suggests mild to moderate irritation, generally less intense than 'angrily'.

Word family

  • cross
    adjectiveB1
  • crossness
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four words describe doing something with irritation, but they differ in intensity and context. 'Angrily' is the strongest and most common — it suggests real fury or rage, not just mild annoyance. 'Crossly' is softer and more old-fashioned, often used with children or in everyday minor frustrations (a parent speaking crossly, a customer replying crossly). 'Irritably' emphasises a person's mood — they are easily bothered and snap at others. 'Testily' is close to 'irritably' but adds a note of sharpness, especially in how someone speaks. In a sentence: 'Mum spoke crossly when I left my shoes in the hall' suggests mild parental annoyance, while 'Mum spoke angrily when I broke the window' suggests a very different reaction.

angrily ↗irritablytestily

Common collocations

Phrases

  • spoke crossly
  • said crossly
  • replied crossly
  • looked crossly at
  • sighed crossly
  • asked crossly

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld IrishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The adverb 'crossly' comes from the adjective 'cross', meaning annoyed or irritable. That sense of 'cross' developed in the 1500s: a person who was 'cross' was seen as being 'crossed' or opposed — blocked by something that upset their mood. The adjective itself comes from the noun 'cross' (the Christian crucifix), which entered English from Old Irish 'cross' via Latin 'crux'.