Categories: GeneralSynonyms

SURLY: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for SURLY?

Need another word that means the same as “surly”? Find 38 synonyms and 30 related words for “surly” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Surly” are: ugly, bad-tempered, ill-natured, grumpy, glum, crotchety, prickly, cantankerous, irascible, testy, ill-tempered, short-tempered, ungracious, splenetic, choleric, dyspeptic, bilious, crusty, abrupt, brusque, curt, gruff, blunt, churlish, ill-humoured, crabbed, crabby, uncivil, morose, dour, sullen, sulky, moody, sour, unfriendly, unpleasant, scowling, unsmiling

Surly as an Adjective

Definitions of "Surly" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “surly” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

  • Bad-tempered and unfriendly.
  • Inclined to anger or bad feelings with overtones of menace.

Synonyms of "Surly" as an adjective (38 Words)

abruptSudden and unexpected.
Came to an abrupt stop.
bad-temperedAnnoyed and irritable.
biliousAffected by or associated with nausea or vomiting.
A bilious yellow hue.
bluntDevoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment.
The blunt truth.
brusqueAbrupt or offhand in speech or manner.
She could be brusque and impatient.
cantankerousBad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative.
He can be a cantankerous old fossil at times.
cholericEasily moved to anger- H.G.Wells.
Men of the choleric type take to kicking and smashing.
churlishRude and boorish.
It seems churlish to complain.
crabbed(of handwriting) very small and difficult to decipher.
A crabbed unhappy middle age.
crabbyIrritable.
He was crabby at having his siesta interrupted.
crotchetyIrritable.
He was tired and crotchety.
crustyHaving or acting as a hard outer layer or covering.
Crusty remarks.
curtMarked by rude or peremptory shortness.
A response so curt as to be almost rude.
dourHarshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance- J.M.Barrie.
The proverbially dour New England Puritan.
dyspepticSuffering from dyspepsia.
glumShowing a brooding ill humor- Bruce Bli.
The princess looked glum but later cheered up.
gruffAbrupt or taciturn in manner.
Gruff voices.
grumpyBad-tempered and irritable.
He s grumpy because he hasn t heard from you.
ill-humouredBrusque and surly and forbidding.
ill-naturedHaving an irritable and unpleasant disposition.
ill-temperedAnnoyed and irritable.
irascibleHaving or showing a tendency to be easily angered.
An irascible response.
moodyGiving an impression of melancholy or mystery.
He sat in moody silence.
moroseSullen and ill-tempered.
She was morose and silent when she got home.
pricklyHaving or causing a tingling or itching sensation.
His hair was prickly and short.
scowlingSullen or unfriendly in appearance.
short-temperedQuickly aroused to anger.
sourHaving a rancid smell.
The kitchen smelled of sour milk.
spleneticVery irritable.
A splenetic rant.
sulkyDepressingly dark.
Disappointment was making her sulky.
sullenDarkened by clouds.
A sullen sunless sky.
testyEasily irritated; impatient and somewhat bad-tempered.
She could see him growing quite testy beneath that polished urbanity.
uncivilLacking civility or good manners- Willa Cather.
He d been short and uncivil with her.
unfriendlyNot friendly.
She shot him an unfriendly glance.
ungraciousLacking social graces.
Ungracious behavior.
unpleasant(of a person or their manner) unfriendly and inconsiderate; rude.
The symptoms are extremely unpleasant.
unsmiling(of a person or their manner or expression) serious or unfriendly; not smiling.
A large unsmiling woman.

Usage Examples of "Surly" as an adjective

  • The porter left with a surly expression.
  • A surly waiter.

Associations of "Surly" (30 Words)

abusiveInvolving injustice or illegality.
He became quite abusive and swore at her.
bluntMake dull or blunt.
A blunt statement of fact.
boorA rough and bad-mannered person.
At last the big obnoxious boor had been dealt a stunning blow for his uncouth and belligerent manner.
boorishIll-mannered and coarse and contemptible in behavior or appearance.
Boorish behaviour.
bratA child, typically one that is badly behaved.
She s been acting like a spoiled brat all evening.
brusquenessAn abrupt discourteous manner.
churlA peasant.
This trio are used whenever some churl wants to have a pop at progressive rock.
churlishHaving a bad disposition; surly.
Churlish as a bear.
coarseRelating to the sport of angling for coarse fish.
His coarse ugly features contorted with rage.
curtRudely brief.
A curt reply.
discourteousShowing no courtesy; rude.
A distant and at times discourteous young.
dismissiveFeeling or showing that something is unworthy of consideration.
They took dismissive action after the third violation.
dispositionThe action of arranging people or things in a particular way.
If Napoleon had had railways at his disposition he would have been invincible.
flippancyInappropriate levity.
She was infuriated by his careless flippancy.
flippantNot showing a serious or respectful attitude.
A flippant remark.
frivolityThe trait of being frivolous; not serious or sensible.
A night of fun and frivolity.
frivolousnessThe trait of being frivolous; not serious or sensible.
grouchShow one’s unhappiness or critical attitude.
My only real grouch was that the children s chorus was less easy on the ear.
impoliteNot polite.
It would have been impolite to refuse.
mannerA semantic category of adverbs and adverbials which answer the question ‘how.
Her dignified manner.
niggardUngenerous niggardly.
oafishRough or clumsy and unintelligent.
Oafish behaviour.
pejorativeExpressing disapproval.
Permissiveness is used almost universally as a pejorative term.
rudeBelonging to an early stage of technical development characterized by simplicity and often crudeness.
The crude weapons and rude agricultural implements of early man.
rudelyIn an impolite manner.
He rudely snatched the water pitcher.
uncouth(of art or language) lacking sophistication or delicacy.
His uncouth cell in Fleet prison.
uncultivated(of land) not used for growing crops.
Uncultivated land.
unrefinedNot refined; uncouth.
Unrefined sugar.
villainA wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately.
A pantomime villain.
Alexei

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