1
as in pouting
given to or displaying a resentful silence and often irritability
went about his chores in a surly huff, totally annoyed that he was stuck at home on this beautiful Saturday
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in irritable
having or showing a habitually bad temper
the surly receptionist told us we'd have to wait outside in the rain
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Recent Examples of surly
Only this time, the cheerleader and the zombie are camp counselors for a group of surly vampires.
—
Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 22 Apr. 2025
Dunn is one of the best point-of-attack defending guards in the NBA, and his quickness, long arms and surly personality on the floor gave Murray issues.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
An example: Sip and Polina have been thrown into Ian Mayfair’s home prison (a must for every supernatural villain property), complete with iron bars and a surly watchman, but this turns out to be an extremely minor setback.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
The Sum of a Career in Spaceflight Schirra had announced his plans to retire from NASA before the Apollo 7 flight, and a successful (if surly) mission, topped off with an Emmy Award and a Deep Draft Command certificate, wasn’t a bad way to wrap up a nine-year career at the agency.
—Kiona N. Smith, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surly
Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 22 Apr. 2025
Dunn is one of the best point-of-attack defending guards in the NBA, and his quickness, long arms and surly personality on the floor gave Murray issues.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
An example: Sip and Polina have been thrown into Ian Mayfair’s home prison (a must for every supernatural villain property), complete with iron bars and a surly watchman, but this turns out to be an extremely minor setback.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
The Sum of a Career in Spaceflight Schirra had announced his plans to retire from NASA before the Apollo 7 flight, and a successful (if surly) mission, topped off with an Emmy Award and a Deep Draft Command certificate, wasn’t a bad way to wrap up a nine-year career at the agency.
—Kiona N. Smith, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surly
Adjective
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Cass fulfills his obligations in a particularly irritable way.—
Jesse Hassenger,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2025
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One person’s fatigue is another’s back pain, is another’s migraine or irritable bowel, or long Covid, and so on.—
Jessica DuLong,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Flowers brighter than the rose bloomed in the blackest of the heath for her; out of a sullen hollow in a livid hillside her mind could make an Eden.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
6 June 2025
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When this long, difficult, rewarding and validating Minnesota Timberwolves season came to a crashing halt Wednesday in Oklahoma City, a sullen group of players and coaches filed into the locker room to come to grips with it all.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
There are angry physical altercations as vivid as anything in a Martin McDonagh two-hander.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
13 June 2025
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After protests and angry meetings, students were displaced to schools that were farther away from home.—
Jennifer Smith Richards,
ProPublica,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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Playing Dawn Summers, Trachtenberg joined the show in 2000, as Buffy's younger sister, who was at times bratty, sulky, and a bit of a klutz — but nonetheless offered a new and exciting sibling dynamic for the show to explore.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
26 Feb. 2025
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Horse race At the harness racing week on the Freehold Raceway in New Jersey: a reverse race with the sulky fixed in front of the horse - 1930.—
Contessa Brewer,
CNBC,
31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Her cantankerous dad undoubtedly gets the best zingers.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
10 June 2025
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Ten-year-old Louisa is walking on a beach on the Japanese coast at night with her father, a cantankerous college instructor named Serk.—
Sam Worley,
Vulture,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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While the Pocket Blush is known for delivering gorgeous flushed cheeks in seconds, the Peptide Lip Shape is a recent favorite for perfectly contoured pouty lips.—
Kleigh Balugo,
StyleCaster,
12 Mar. 2025
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Johansen had the sharp, pouty features of Mick Jagger, but the sneer and savvy of his hometown.—
August Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But when Chief, the ornery stray, gets overruled into helping his pack assist a boy who’s crash-landed on their trash island, Cranston really nails it.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
12 June 2025
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The ornery character actor Richard Kind is his announcer, barking non sequiturs from behind a podium.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Befriending Cressida Cowper is a respectable exercise in recognizing biases, but the pair’s interactions are as disagreeable as those bangs.—
Zoe Haylock,
Vulture,
16 May 2024
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If Alex has a bit more credibility, not being as intractable in her positions, both have a tendency to come off as disagreeable in their incessant bickering and self-righteousness.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surly. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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