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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
-
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
-
My partner came home from work to find a sullen child whimpering in his room.—
Jann Blackstone,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2025
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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
Adjective
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Without Flagg, asking angry fans for more money may have sent Welts back into another round of retirement.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 June 2025
-
Mamdani’s victory fits the emerging pattern of angry and fed-up voters from across the spectrum, as some notable anti-establishment populists have swept to victory in the US and across the globe on both the left and the right.—
Time,
Time,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
Just picture it: a Bond car chase reimagined as a slow, sulky glide through fog and existential dread.—
Benjamin Svetkey,
HollywoodReporter,
28 June 2025
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And at the play’s pinnacle, Stewart, an extraordinary trans actress, takes the show back from the sulky boys by performing a soft-limbed voguing solo, plunging to the floor as her braids twirl around her.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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The story isn't linear and sometimes the character's main motivation can be reduced to the moodiness of cantankerous old men.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
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This isn’t just the opinion of some cantankerous Boomers who want those pesky Gen-Z kids to turn down their loud music and get off the lawn; globally, study after study has demonstrated that Gen-Z has historically low financial literacy levels.—
Benjamin van der Lande,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
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 9 Jul. 2025.
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