surly
adjective
sur·​ly
| \ ˈsər-lē
\
\
surlier;
surliest
Definition of surly
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Other Words from surly
surlily
\ ˈsər-​lə-​lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
surliness
\ ˈsər-​lē-​nəs
\
noun
\
noun
surly
adverb
Examples of surly in a Sentence
went about his chores in a surly huff, totally annoyed that he was stuck at home on this beautiful Saturday
the surly receptionist told us we'd have to wait outside in the rain
Recent Examples on the Web
The literature of interwar Britain is full of bad food, dirty floors, and surly amateurish cooks and cleaners. — Charlotte Mendelson, The New Yorker, "The Stunning Grounds, and Tragic History, of the Lost Gardens of Heligan," 2 Aug. 2019 Over and over, the Lorns slip the surly bonds of family in a tale set against the backdrop of an American century. — oregonlive.com, "5 novels to escape with this summer," 1 Aug. 2019 Judge hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning Tuesday night, Gregorius followed with his slam and the New York Yankees beat Tampa Bay, 8-3, after another surly clash between Sabathia and the Rays. — Jake Seiner, BostonGlobe.com, "Benches clear before Yankees KO Rays," 17 July 2019 Aaron Judge hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning, Didi Gregorius followed with a grand slam and the New York Yankees beat Tampa Bay 8-3 Tuesday night after another surly clash between CC Sabathia and the Rays. — Jake Seiner, courant.com, "Judge, Gregorius lift Yanks over Rays after CC starts fracas," 17 July 2019 This is the Cousins that his critics have always pointed to: foul-prone and surly, trouble for his team. — Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, "DeMarcus Cousins and Narrative Whiplash in the N.B.A. Finals," 6 June 2019 The often-surly Ava steals a dog which leads her to its owner, Juan (Juan Cano), who’s taken refuge on a deserted stretch of beach after being hurt in a fight. — Loren King, BostonGlobe.com, "At the MFA, it’s time for the Boston French Film Festival," 5 July 2018 Schoonover is unbreakably peppy as Marilyn; the bet is that Abby can’t make Marilyn angry, and Schoonover’s beaming smile and resilient happiness are like nails on a chalkboard for Gottesman’s surly Abby. — Nelson Pressley, Washington Post, "Lindsay-Abaire’s ‘Ripcord’ pulls the rug out from under senior-living pranksters," 19 June 2019 Napoleon, a shy, surly, solitary boy with a ghastly Corsican accent and floppy spaniel’s sidelocks, was unhappy among the self-confident aristocratic cadets, who teased him about his humble origins. — Adam Zamoyski, The New York Review of Books, "An Ordinary Man," 4 Apr. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'surly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for surly
surly
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of surly
: rude and unfriendly
See the full definition for surly in the English Language Learners Dictionary
surly
adjective
sur·​ly
| \ ˈsər-lē
\
\
surlier;
surliest
Kids Definition of surly
: mean and rude : unfriendly
a surly neighbor
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