surly

adjective

ˈsər-lē How to pronounce surly (audio)
Definition of surlynext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word surly different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of surly are crabbed, gloomy, glum, morose, saturnine, sulky, and sullen. While all these words mean "showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood," surly implies gruffness and sullenness of speech or manner.

a typical surly teenager

When is it sensible to use crabbed instead of surly?

While in some cases nearly identical to surly, crabbed applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner.

the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster

When is gloomy a more appropriate choice than surly?

The words gloomy and surly are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, gloomy implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or glumness.

a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news

When might glum be a better fit than surly?

The synonyms glum and surly are sometimes interchangeable, but glum suggests a silent dispiritedness.

a glum candidate left to ponder a stunning defeat

How do morose and glum relate to one another, in the sense of surly?

Morose adds to glum an element of bitterness or misanthropy.

morose job seekers who are inured to rejection

When could saturnine be used to replace surly?

While the synonyms saturnine and surly are close in meaning, saturnine describes a heavy forbidding aspect or suggests a bitter disposition.

a saturnine cynic always finding fault

When can sulky be used instead of surly?

The meanings of sulky and surly largely overlap; however, sulky suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness.

grew sulky after every spat

In what contexts can sullen take the place of surly?

In some situations, the words sullen and surly are roughly equivalent. However, sullen implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable.

remained sullen amid the festivities

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 surly Neither would have agreed to portray a skinny ping pong hustler with a surly disposition and bad complexion. —Peter Bart, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026 Everyone is welcoming and warm—other than a free-roaming ostrich, curious and slightly surly, which keeps skittish guard over the entire site. —Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 21 Dec. 2025 Remember how in 2023 when swarms of these surly, entitled freeloaders suddenly materialized – in Terminal E, of all places. —Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 28 Nov. 2025 Consider that surly, irrational people quite often are acting from their own pain. —Paul Prather, Arkansas Online, 15 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for surly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surly
  1. irritable
  2. sullen
  3. angry
  4. sulky
  5. cantankerous
  6. pouty
  7. ornery
  8. disagreeable
Adjective
  • Lack of sleep can lead to a range of problems, including feeling more irritable.
    — Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 7 Feb. 2026
  • On the contrary, Juventus’ football soothed even the most irritable sections of the crowd.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Definition of irritable
Adjective
  • My father was also sullen from the vodka, and after grumbling some would fall asleep on his grungy sleeper berth.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
  • And Venter’s fiery and edgy Jessie May is sullen, controlling and cruel.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of sullen
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, members of Congress are likely to face some angry, dissatisfied voters — with the year’s first major primary day fast approaching on March 3.
    — Marissa Martinez, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
  • But the attempt at humor didn’t satisfy some angry fans who believe Mets President David Stearns swindled Getz in a trade that essentially was a salary dump.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2026
Definition of angry
Adjective
  • Keep an eye out for chartreuses, browns, and bright sky blues, along with sulky mauves and beiges in a plaster finish.
    — Abby Wolner, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Feb. 2026
  • 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
Definition of sulky
Adjective
  • Lori Tan Chinn charms as a cantankerous Chinatown grandmother, while Jamie Lee Curtis makes a memorable meal of her single scene as a mob boss.
    — Beandrea July, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Ornery, bizarre, cantankerous, brilliant, talented, stubborn—all characters from our lives.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
Definition of cantankerous
Adjective
  • Kelly made a pouty face at Correa, who started walking toward the Dodger dugout.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Chanelling Miss Sara Bellum from the Powerpuff Girls, her secretarial deep burgundy ringlets were cut into pouty bangs that almost totally concealed her eyes.
    — Essence, Essence, 21 Jan. 2026
Definition of pouty
Adjective
  • There is the nonchalant athleticism that belies impeccable instincts and an ornery competitiveness.
    — Dennis Lin, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Sometimes he’d be sent out to deal with the more ornery guests in an effort to calm them.
    — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Definition of ornery
Adjective
  • The cold was biting at that hour, and people hurried about, thinking of autumn—a season as bitter and disagreeable as a sour apple that could nonetheless hold a beautiful day or two in store before the freeze set in, a sudden blue sky washed clean by the wind or rain.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
  • This danger is creating a modern sycophancy crisis in which the over-agreeableness of AI is leading to very disagreeable results.
    — Arianna Huffington, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
Definition of disagreeable

Browse Nearby Words

surliness
surly
surmise
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Cite this Entry

“Surly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surly. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of surly for Spanish Speakers

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