surly

[sur-lee]

adjective

surlier, surliest 

1. churlishly rude or bad-tempered.

   a surly waiter.

   Synonyms: crabby, grouchy, grumpy, cross, choleric, splenetic, irascible, brusque, uncivil, sullen

2. unfriendly or hostile; menacingly irritable.

   a surly old lion.

   Synonyms: malevolent, threatening

3. dark or dismal; menacing; threatening.

   a surly sky.

   Synonyms: ominous

4. Obsolete.,  lordly; arrogant.

surly

/ ˈsɜːlɪ /

adjective

1. sullenly ill-tempered or rude

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

3. dismal

4. obsolete,  arrogant

Other Word Forms

• surliness noun
• surlily adverb
• unsurlily adverb
• unsurliness noun
• unsurly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of surly¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of surly¹

C16: from obsolete sirly haughty; see _sir

Synonym Study

See glum.

Example Sentences

As a surly, teenage combination of self-aggrandizement and self-doubt, she is the instantly recognizable character that makes the rest of the world believable.

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She also had to get used to the idea of who Lydia had become: a widowed mother with a surly unfun daughter who doesn’t believe in ghosts, dating a suspiciously doting hanger-on.

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“We called him Angry Clown because he seemed so surly,” Tudyk says.

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She’s entering surly adolescence like a hot comet and not thrilled to have a new stepmother.

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But there can be striking similarities, like the parallels between that surly California contest 22 years ago and Biden’s tough reelection fight.

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Related Words

• boorish 
• dour 
• irritable 
• morose 
• rude 
• sullen 
• testy 
• ugly