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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Determined to make a clean SPF, Brown says a chemical formula was out of the question (chemical sunscreens are often thought to be unsafe for the coral reef and irritable to sensitive skin types).—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
9 July 2025
-
In my own experience, poor sleep has frequently been the reason behind feeling tired and irritable.—
Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt,
CNN Money,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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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
-
Most of the time, Superman is depressed or angry or getting beat to a pulp or having cans thrown at him or getting arrested.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
-
Others were frustrated—some even outright angry—that the Commission fell short of declaring all forms of obesity a disease and instead recommended a more nuanced clinical diagnosis.—
Francesco Rubino,
Time,
9 July 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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That is, until an ornery cow named Daisy kicks over a lantern and ignites a fire that quickly engulfs the Windy City.—
EW Staff Published,
EW.com,
3 July 2025
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The outcome is a fire ant that has the strength and ornery disposition of the fiercer red fire ant with the better tolerance of colder temperatures found in black fire ants.—
Gareth McGrath,
USA Today,
28 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 20 Jul. 2025.
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