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
Now, Stefani realizes that her own family members — including her surly teen brother, Charlie (Teo Briones), and her cousins Erik (Richard Harmon), Julia (Anna Lore), and Bobby (Owen Patrick Joyner) — are next in line.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 May 2025
Requests are taken for the next amendment, and a surly, very cool Matt (Goggins) has a one-word answer: guns.
—EW.com, 11 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for surly
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 May 2025
Requests are taken for the next amendment, and a surly, very cool Matt (Goggins) has a one-word answer: guns.
—EW.com, 11 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for surly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surly
Adjective
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But a new wrench is thrown into the works in the form of an irritable downstairs neighbor.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
27 June 2025
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When a muscle is injured or put under extra stress, myofascial trigger points—basically, irritable spots in the muscle—can form and cause pain.—
Jenny McCoy,
SELF,
26 June 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
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Republican lawmakers were also angry when the Southern Association warned that a 2021 presidential search at Florida State University may violate accrediting standards.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
26 June 2025
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Many players, including some former Huskies, were drafted much higher and came off angry about dropping.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
26 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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The Post isn’t as great as All the President’s Men — this movie is sort of like its prequel — but its cast is superb, especially Tom Hanks as a cantankerous Bill Bradlee and Meryl Streep as a conflicted Kay Graham.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
20 June 2025
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Her cantankerous dad undoubtedly gets the best zingers.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
10 June 2025
Adjective
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The passengers include several other mountain trekkers, among them an American professor (Bernard Curry) and his teenage daughter, Starr (Grace O’Sullivan), the latter’s nature instantly signified by her pouty demeanor and inability to put away her cell phone.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
26 June 2025
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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
Adjective
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Kitty: And grandpa, oh, who is like a lovely but ornery Irish man, Sean: takes one look at the Harry Krishnas, looks at dad like, looks at the Christians again.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
11 June 2025
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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
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 5 Jul. 2025.
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