as in sulkiness
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Recent Examples of surliness
Dani’s surliness has evaporated.
—
David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The Dolphins knew in the spring that Jalen Ramsey’s tardiness and surliness did not fit the culture that the organization wanted to build.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
But at least Chalamet doesn’t try to soft pedal Dylan’s surliness and careerism, and his vocal re-creations are mostly spot on.
—Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The Dolphins knew in the spring that Jalen Ramsey’s tardiness and surliness did not fit the culture that the organization wanted to build.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
But at least Chalamet doesn’t try to soft pedal Dylan’s surliness and careerism, and his vocal re-creations are mostly spot on.
—Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surliness
Noun
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Sure, the Oscar-winning makeup helps transform the actor into Cheney, but the voice and petulance are all Bale, whose conjuring of this scoundrel ought to trigger PTSD for anyone who survived the Dubya years.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
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Warren deserves kudos for bucking the trend of petulance exhibited by too many Democrats that night.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Vince Gilligan moved to Apple and returned to his X-Files roots for the sci-fi horror dramatic comedy Pluribus, which used its ultra-mysterious and yet ultra-familiar genre trappings for a droll meditation on the eternal clash between collective joy and individual grouchiness.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Nov. 2025
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Emily is also struggling with Annabelle, who has inherited her mom’s attitude and the grouchiness of any adolescent forced to grow up with an Evolution Media camera crew in her home.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Trigger-point injections reverse the hyper-irritability of nerves by inhibiting the influx of neurochemicals and re-regulating the function of various nerves.—
Dr. Patricia Richard,
Hartford Courant,
14 Apr. 2026
-
My irritability is definitely not in check.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Poor sleep leads to more than just crankiness A cranky kid after a bad night’s sleep is bad enough.—
Avery Newmark,
AJC.com,
10 Mar. 2026
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And remember, most Californians are running on an hour less sleep today, so drive a little slower and blame your crankiness on the time change.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Warriors trailed by 11 points after a first quarter notable mostly for some late Golden State testiness.—
Ron Kroichick,
San Francisco Chronicle,
2 Jan. 2026
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Corbett said the testiness started in Florida and returned with the team to Charlotte.—
Joseph Person,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Israel’s belligerence is another complicating factor.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
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Malcolm's daughter is struggling in life and school, but her father's genetic toolkit only has belligerence, impulsiveness and thickheadedness, passed on by his on-screen parents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There’s probably not much of a mystery bubbling around the pizza plaza’s sudden crustiness toward the Super Bowl.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2026
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Use disposable products like gauze or cotton swabs to gently remove build-up or crustiness.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surliness. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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