Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [sur-lee]
- /ˈsɜr li/
- /ˈsɜː.li/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [sur-lee]
- /ˈsɜr li/
Definitions of surly word
- adjective surly churlishly rude or bad-tempered: a surly waiter. Synonyms: sullen, uncivil, brusque, irascible, splenetic, choleric, cross; grumpy, grouchy, crabby. 1
- adjective surly unfriendly or hostile; menacingly irritable: a surly old lion. Synonyms: threatening, malevolent. 1
- adjective surly dark or dismal; menacing; threatening: a surly sky. Synonyms: ominous. 1
- adjective surly Obsolete. lordly; arrogant. 1
- adjective surly bad tempered, rude 1
- adjective surly Someone who is surly behaves in a rude bad-tempered way. 0
Information block about the term
Origin of surly
First appearance:
before 1560 One of the 32% oldest English words
1560-70; spelling variant of obsolete sirly lordly, arrogant, equivalent to sir + -ly
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Surly
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
surly popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 94% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
surly usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for surly
adj surly
- anesthetized — to render physically insensible, as by an anesthetic.
- anti — You can refer to people who are opposed to a particular activity or idea as antis.
- anti-social — Someone who is anti-social is unwilling to meet and be friendly with other people.
- atrabilious — irritable
- bad-tempered — Someone who is bad-tempered is not very cheerful and gets angry easily.
adjective surly
- anaesthetised — anesthetize.
- anaesthetized — anesthetize.
- coldblooded — having a body temperature that fluctuates, approximating that of the surrounding air, land, or water
- coldhearted — lacking sympathy; unfeeling
- cross — If you cross something such as a room, a road, or an area of land or water, you move or travel to the other side of it. If you cross to a place, you move or travel over a room, road, or area of land or water in order to reach that place.
Antonyms for surly
adj surly
- affable — Someone who is affable is pleasant and friendly.
- amiable — Someone who is amiable is friendly and pleasant to be with.
- bonhomous — exhibiting bonhomie
- buddy-buddy — very friendly; intimate.
- chirpy — If you describe a person or their behaviour as chirpy, you mean they are very cheerful and lively.
adjective surly
- dovelike — Similar to a dove.
- jokey — lacking in seriousness; frivolous: The editorial had an offensively jokey tone for such an important subject.
- jollying — Present participle of jolly.
- jovial — endowed with or characterized by a hearty, joyous humor or a spirit of good-fellowship: a wonderfully jovial host.
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