adj
surly
SUR-lee
adj
1
Bad-tempered, unfriendly, and rude in manner.
"The surly waiter barely acknowledged us."
"He gave a surly reply and walked off."
How to Use Surly
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishGrumpy, unfriendly, and short with people.
Common pairings
a surly teenager
surly attitude
a surly grunt
Word Forms
surlier comparative, surlier comparative, surliest superlative, surliest superlative
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “surly”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The _____ waiter barely acknowledged us.
Etymology
A 16th-century alteration of "sirly", from "sir" + "-ly" — originally meant "lordly" or "arrogant" before shifting to today's "grumpy" sense.