cross-grained

US: (krôs′grānd′, kros′-)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

cross-grained  (krôs′grānd′, kros′-), adj. 

1. Building having the grain running transversely or diagonally, or having an irregular or gnarled grain, as timber.
2. stubborn;
   perverse.

• 1640–50

cross′-grained′ly, adv. 
cross′-grained′ness, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cross-grained adjective

1. (of timber) having the fibres arranged irregularly or in a direction that deviates from the axis of the piece
2. perverse, cantankerous, or stubborn