surly

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“
His was not an arrogant nature, nor a surly--but the change in his environment had been painfully abrupt.

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Definitions (10)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. adjective Sullenly ill-humored; gruff.
  2. adjective Threatening, as of weather conditions; ominous: surly clouds filled the sky.
  3. adjective Obsolete Arrogant; domineering.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (4)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

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Examples (50)

  • Local opinion holds me as surly, aging, irascible, crusty -- in short, a curmudgeon -- and I foster the illusion. —  F ;SF; - vol 087 issue 03 - September 1994
  • But he was very surly, and the secret must be found out in some other way As he stood gazing, a slight stir among the bushes attracted his attention. —  Chatterbox, 1906
  • His was not an arrogant nature, nor a surly--but the change in his environment had been painfully abrupt. —  The Promise A Tale of the Great Northwest
  • His companions were surly, the manager was venomous, the bitter rain fell on. —  Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, February 23, 1916
  • He is a haughty, surly, abusive man; he is the torment of his relations and workmen, and constantly out of humour. —  The Bishop and Other Stories
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

sullen ·  sulky ·  morose ·  irritable ·  haughty ·  gruff ·  resentful ·  quarrelsome ·  sarcastic ·  overbear ·  vindictive ·  suspicious
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English sirly, masterful, lordly, from sir, lord; see sir.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Early modern English also serly, syrly, for *sirly, literally ‘like a sir or lord,’ ‘lordly,’ ‘domineering,’ and in these forms apparently from sir, n., + -ly; but this appears to be a popular etymology, the more orig. form being prob. surly, from Middle English *surly, from Anglo-Saxon *sūrlīc (= German säuerlich), sourish, sour (adverb *sūrlīce, sūrelīce = Middle Dutch suerlick = German säuerlich, sourly), from sūr, sour, + -līe, English -ly: see sour and -ly.
 

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/ˈsərli/
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