The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Cantankerous \Can*tan"ker*ous\, a. Perverse; contentious; ugly; malicious. [Colloq.] -- Can*tan"ker*ous*ly, adv. -- Can*tan"ker*ous*ness, n. [1913 Webster] The cantankerous old maiden aunt. --Thackeray. [1913 Webster] CantarWordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
cantankerously adv 1: in a bad mood; "he answered her cantankerously"