surly
English
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surly
- /ˈsɜːli/ UK
- /ˈsɝli/ US
Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)li
Where it comes from
16th-century alteration of sirly, from sir + -ly.
adjective surlier · surliest
- Irritated, bad-tempered, unfriendly.
- Threatening, menacing, gloomy. The surly weather put us all in a bad mood.
- Lordly, arrogant, supercilious.
adverb surlier · surliest
- In an arrogant or supercilious manner. Against the Capitol I met a lion / Who glazed upon me, and went surly by / Without annoying me […]
Translations
Every language
adj irritated, bad-tempered, unfriendly
| Español | arisco, brígido, escolimoso, hosco, fosco |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 粗暴 cūbào, 無禮 /无礼 wúlǐ, 乖戾 guāilì |
| Português | rabugento |
| Français | grognon, grincheux, impoli |
| Deutsch | mürrisch, unwirsch, missmutig, verdrießlich, griesgrämig, grämlich |
| Italiano | scontroso, burbero |
| Română | posac, morocănos |
| Русский | угрю́мый ugrjúmyj, серди́тый serdítyj, гру́бый grúbyj, неприве́тливый neprivétlivyj |
adj threatening, menacing, gloomy
| 中文 | 陰鬱 /阴郁 yīnyù |
|---|---|
| Français | menaçant, rude, morne |
| Deutsch | grob, düster, rau, bedrohlich, drohend, traurig |
| Русский | угрожа́ющий ugrožájuščij, гро́зный gróznyj |
adj (obsolete) lordly, arrogant, supercilious
| 中文 | 傲慢的 àomàn de |
|---|---|
| Français | arrogant, autoritaire |
| Deutsch | überheblich, arrogant, hochmütig, hochnäsig, herablassend, anmaßend |
| Русский | надме́нный nadménnyj, спеси́вый spesívyj, высокоме́рный vysokomérnyj |
Talk about this word "surly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/surly. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. surly. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/surly "surly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/surly.
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@misc{surly_2026,
title = {surly},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/surly},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
