Cranky vs Peevish - What's the difference?

As adjectives the difference between cranky and peevish

is that cranky is (obsolete) weak, unwell while peevish is constantly complaining; fretful, whining.

(er)

(obsolete) Weak, unwell.

Not in good working condition; shaky.

* 1914 , '', ''The River of Doubt ,

We had seven canoes, all of them dugouts. One was small, one was cranky , and two were old, waterlogged, and leaky. The other three were good.

Grouchy, irritable; easily upset.

He got home from a long day at work tired and cranky .

Not in perfect mental working order; eccentric, peculiar.

* 1934 December, ,

Uncle Esau is as cranky as hell, and a peculiar old duck, but I think he'll like a fine upstanding young man as big as you be.

(archaic) Full of spirit; spirited.

* (l), (l) (obsolete)

(en adjective)

Constantly complaining; fretful, whining.

* , King Henry V , act 3, scene 7:

Orleans: What a wretched and peevish fellow is this king of England, to mope with his fat-brained followers so far out of his knowledge!

* 1813 , , Pride and Prejudice , ch. 41:

[T]he luckless Kitty continued in the parlour repining at her fate in terms as unreasonable as her accent was peevish .

* 1917 , , "The Mixer" in The Man With Two Left Feet and Other Stories :

At first he was quite peevish . "What's the idea," he said, "coming and spoiling a man's beauty-sleep? Get out."

* peevishly * peevishness