surly

[ sur-lee ]
See synonyms for: surlysurliness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,sur·li·er, sur·li·est.
  1. churlishly rude or bad-tempered: a surly waiter.

  2. unfriendly or hostile; menacingly irritable: a surly old lion.

  1. dark or dismal; menacing; threatening: a surly sky.

  2. Obsolete. lordly; arrogant.

Origin of surly

1
First recorded in 1560–70; spelling variant of obsolete sirly “lordly, arrogant,” equivalent to sir + -ly

synonym study For surly

1. See glum.

Other words for surly

Other words from surly

  • sur·li·ly, adverb
  • sur·li·ness, noun
  • un·sur·li·ly, adverb
  • un·sur·li·ness, noun
  • un·sur·ly, adjective

Words Nearby surly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use surly in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for surly

surly

/ (ˈsɜːlɪ) /


adjective-lier or -liest
  1. sullenly ill-tempered or rude

  2. (of an animal) ill-tempered or refractory

  1. dismal

  2. obsolete arrogant

Origin of surly

1
C16: from obsolete sirly haughty; see sir

Derived forms of surly

  • surlily, adverb
  • surliness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012