Surly Definition

sûrlē
surlier, surliest
adjective
surlier, surliest
Bad-tempered; sullenly rude; hostile and uncivil.
Webster's New World
Gloomy and threatening.
Webster's New World
Haughty; arrogant.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
adverb
(obsolete) In an arrogant or supercilious manner.
Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Surly

Adjective

Base Form:
surly
Comparative:
surlier
Superlative:
surliest

Origin of Surly

  • Middle English sirly masterful, lordly from sir lord sir

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Sixteenth-century alteration of sirly, from sir + -ly.

    From Wiktionary

Surly Sentence Examples

  • But his surly guest said scarcely a word.

  • The voice became surly.

  • On a previous visit I found him to be somewhat surly, but last night he was downright rude!

  • Smit was a surly fellow, and refused shelter to the traveler, who was therefore obliged to continue his journey during the night.

  • Hence comes the modern use of the word for a low-born or vulgar person, particularly one with an unpleasant, surly or miserly character.

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Words Starting With

SSUSUR

Words Ending With

YLYRLY

Unscrambles

surly

Words Starting With S and Ending With Y

Starts With S & Ends With YStarts With SU & Ends With YStarts With S & Ends With LY

Word Length

5 Letter Words5 Letter Words Starting With S5 Letter Words Ending With Y