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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of surly
Linda hustles the two of them to a nearby motel whose only employees are a surly young goth attendant (a glowering Ivy Wolk) and a sympathetic, mildly flirty super (A$AP Rocky, laidback and breezy).
—
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
With his brother, Josh, Benny has built a career on his fascination with these occasionally surly characters, often men on the downswing.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
In the span of a few months rehabbing in Los Angeles in 2023, an oft-surly 40-year-old quarterback became pals with a 25-year-old goofball of a running back.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 30 Aug. 2025
As a documentary subject, Hersh is thoroughly engaging — by turns charming, surly and vulnerable.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surly
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
With his brother, Josh, Benny has built a career on his fascination with these occasionally surly characters, often men on the downswing.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
In the span of a few months rehabbing in Los Angeles in 2023, an oft-surly 40-year-old quarterback became pals with a 25-year-old goofball of a running back.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 30 Aug. 2025
As a documentary subject, Hersh is thoroughly engaging — by turns charming, surly and vulnerable.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surly
Adjective
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Some of the consequences of owing your body sleep are readily apparent, like feeling drowsy, irritable, or brain-foggy, or catching seemingly every virus.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Accompanying Rayner through these daily adventures were the irritable duck Chelveston (named after his English bomber base) and the gentle dog puppet Cuddly Dudley.—
Michael Peregrine,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
While Nina’s 7-year-old daughter, Cece (Indiana Elle), is sullen, and her dreamboat husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), is politely cautious about the prospect of a live-in housekeeper, Nina herself seems nice enough at first, if a little intense.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
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Shane, a wholesome Canadian, anchors his national team and is drafted by the Montreal Metros, while Russian team anchor Ilya is a seemingly sullen bad boy drafted by the Boston Raiders.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Robby is angry at himself for not seeing it.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
-
None of the referees appeared to be struck by the objects being thrown on the court, despite video showing a windfall of debris raining down from the angry crowd.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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After a strange courtship ritual—in which, as a favor to Liveright, Cerf accompanied the writer Theodore Dreiser to an afternoon baseball game that the latter man, bored, sulky, whisked them from around the sixth inning—Cerf took the job.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Nov. 2025
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Still, Ortega’s performance proves that sulky, baleful gravity doesn’t have to lose its strange luster over time (a third season has already been announced).—
Tom Gliatto,
PEOPLE,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In Christmas Vacation, Marshall portrayed Ellen's cantankerous father, Art Smith.—
Kate Hogan,
PEOPLE,
26 Dec. 2025
-
Iran’s cantankerous elite came together, and the public remained passive.—
Ray Takeyh,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
This is a grumpy, pouty, dreary team right now.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Dec. 2025
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This is a look that’s equal parts polished and edgy, so go all-out with a full leather ensemble, wearing leather pants or thigh-high leather boots with a Parisian signature—a pouty red lip.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
With its abundance of concrete, startling interior views, and play of deep shadows, the design invokes the ornery inventiveness of Kahn and Paul Rudolph, combined with the corporate sleekness of MoMA’s most recent iterations by Yoshio Taniguchi and Diller Scofidio + Renfro.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
3 Nov. 2025
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At 0-2, the Chiefs may be a little more ornery than usual.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Over the weekend, reports emerged that the higher tariffs followed a disagreeable Thursday phone call between Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter and Trump — which Swiss officials rejected, according to Reuters.—
Sophie Kiderlin,Jenni Reid,
CNBC,
4 Aug. 2025
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Trump and his supporters prefer a happy history, a pleasant history that arouses patriotism by overlooking disagreeable people and despicable events that sully the nation’s reputation and mar the magnificence of the American story.—
William C. Hine,
Twin Cities,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surly. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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