surliness

noun

Definition of surlinessnext
as in sulkiness

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surliness
  1. grumpiness
  2. petulance
  3. grouchiness
  4. irritability
  5. crankiness
  6. testiness
  7. belligerence
  8. crustiness
Noun
  • Newcastle just about hauled themselves back from the precipice, but this has been a faith-shaker of a season and, at times, grumpiness has set in.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Definition of grumpiness
Noun
  • France’s challenges came from external provocation, first the petulance of the Paraguayan team, but then comments widely condemned as racist by a Paraguayan politician.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 16 July 2026
  • Such petulance does not merit responsible high public office.
    — Letters to the Editor, Hartford Courant, 15 June 2026
Definition of petulance
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of grouchiness
Noun
  • Kooij says women with ADHD whose symptoms increase during this stage may describe losing control over mood, irritability, sleep and focus.
    — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 7 July 2026
  • Giving your body a chance to relax with floor time can interrupt stress and give the body a chance to recharge, which could reduce feelings of irritability or distress.
    — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of irritability
Noun
  • How to handle it A lot of Virgo’s crankiness can be soothed with helping them get organized and practice self-compassion.
    — Maressa Brown, Parents, 18 June 2026
  • Bumping into someone wasn’t met with frustration, but with a grin and a comment about the Knicks, as if the entire city had agreed to give each other a pass from the stereotypical crankiness for one single night.
    — Antonio Ferme, Variety, 14 June 2026
Definition of crankiness
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
  • Corbett said the testiness started in Florida and returned with the team to Charlotte.
    — Joseph Person, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Definition of testiness
Noun
  • Yet the franchise, for all its mayhem, didn’t run on belligerence, or at least channelled its aggression in a disarming way.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
  • The previous year, troubled by the growing belligerence of the internet crowd, Atkin had enrolled in self-defense training in her neighborhood.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 June 2026
Definition of belligerence
Noun
  • 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
  • Use disposable products like gauze or cotton swabs to gently remove build-up or crustiness.
    — Sherri Gordon, Health, 24 Oct. 2025
Definition of crustiness

Browse Nearby Words

surging
surliness
surly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Surliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surliness. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of parochial

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All