Orner

We hear the "bad-tempered" part and we run for the hills. Nobody wants to be the grump at the party. But I want to focus on the second half: Stubborn.

That is productive orneriness.

The old farmer who is ornery about his tractor might yell at the sky. He won’t yell at the kid who wanders onto his land to fetch a ball. He’ll just grumble, hand the ball back, and mutter about “kids these days” under his breath. That’s the difference. We hear the "bad-tempered" part and we run for the hills

We tend to use the word ornery to describe a mule that won’t cross a stream, or a grandfather who refuses to use a smartphone, or a cat that knocks a glass off the table simply because the table exists. That is productive orneriness