Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Cantankerous \Can*tan"ker*ous\, a.
   Perverse; contentious; ugly; malicious. [Colloq.] --
   {Can*tan"ker*ous*ly}, adv. -- {Can*tan"ker*ous*ness}, n.

         The cantankerous old maiden aunt.        --Thackeray.