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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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.
Noun
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Such petulance does not merit responsible high public office.
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In fact, Mount’s petulance was a way to distract the referee from Fernandes’s antics and take a late yellow card on his captain’s behalf.
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.
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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.
Noun
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Such symptoms can include irritability, anxiety, mood swings and insomnia.
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The symptoms often look different in dads—anger or sudden outbursts, irritability and substance misuse, for example.
Noun
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How to handle it A lot of Virgo’s crankiness can be soothed with helping them get organized and practice self-compassion.
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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.
Noun
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The Warriors trailed by 11 points after a first quarter notable mostly for some late Golden State testiness.
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Corbett said the testiness started in Florida and returned with the team to Charlotte.
Noun
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Observing how authenticity manifests as uncompromising, or how candor manifests as belligerence, for example, is an important starting point in discovering Integrity.
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Officers in Texas displayed startling belligerence at times, grabbing or tackling students a fraction of their size over misconduct that often appeared to be minor.
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.
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Use disposable products like gauze or cotton swabs to gently remove build-up or crustiness.
Cite this Entry
“Surliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surliness. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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