Etymologically
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crunchy

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈkɹʌnt͡ʃi/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English crunch + -y.[2][3][4] The verb crunch is recorded from 1814, a variant of craunch, probably imitative.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Crisp, making a crunching sound when chewed or crushed: 1892 in Etymonline.[2] Dictionary.com dates the word to 1890–95, Merriam-Webster to 1913, and the OED's first record is from the Daily Express in 1929.[4][5][3]

Semantic evolution

Figurative senses followed in the 20th century: from 1959 the word described harmonies, especially vocal harmonies, that are complex or dissonant, while from 1981 it described rock music or guitar chords with a crisp, distorted sound.[3] In North America, from 1982 crunchy described people with ecological awareness, liberal views and an interest in natural foods and products,[3] short for crunchy granola, a wholesome cereal of the health-food shops of the early 1970s, as Etymonline says and the OED suggests.[2][3] Etymonline dates this student slang to 1990 and notes that it was neutral or positive at first but later often dismissive;[2] Green's Dictionary of Slang records it in American campus slang in 1990, meaning vegetarian or hippie.[6] American students around 2000 also used it for embarrassed and for exhausted.[6]

Timeline

  • 1892 – crisp, crunching.[2] The OED's first record of this sense is from 1929.[3]
  • 1959 – of harmonies, complex or dissonant.[3]
  • 1981 – of rock music, having a crisp, distorted sound.[3]
  • 1982 – ecologically minded, liberal, fond of natural foods.[3] Etymonline dates this sense to 1990.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Firm and crisp, making a crunching sound when bitten or crushed: crunchy apples.[5][3]
  2. (informal, North America) Concerned with the environment and natural living, with liberal views; often used dismissively.[3][2][6]
  3. Of music or harmonies, dissonant or distorted in a crisp way.[3]

Word family

  • crunchily
  • crunchiness

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com