Most people strive to sound intelligent in various settings by using words they think they know but end up misusing them. Using the wrong vocabulary can backfire on you because the audience will focus on your mistakes rather than the information you are passing across. Find out if you are using “surly” the best way by knowing the correct surly definition and meaning.
Surly means “bad-tempered, hostile, or rude.” Use the word “surly” to describe someone who behaves rudely and with a bad-tempered attitude. The word mainly describes any behavior that people do not like. People described using this word have an unfriendly attitude.
But the definition above is just one meaning of the word “surly.” Before you start using this word, it is vital to learn the various definitions and usage of the word to avoid embarrassing yourself among your friends and peers. This article will take you on an in-depth journey of the word surly, including surly definition, meaning, spelling, pronunciation, and origin.
What is the Definition of Surly?
Surly: Menacing or threatening in appearance. Use the word to describe people or things that are terrifying, alarming, or admonitory. The word can describe people or situations.
Here are example sentences:
- No one ever goes to the forest since a surly old tiger lives there.
- Though it was her wedding day, the surly weather put her in a bad mood.
- Her face burned in the fire, and most people avoided her due to her surly appearance.
What is the Meaning of Surly?
Surly: Gruff or ill-humor. Use the word to describe something or someone who disagrees or causes a sullen state of mind. These are things marked by forbidding moroseness.
Here are example sentences:
- The manager used a surly attitude to inform the workers that they would work through the holiday.
- Sharon is a successful lawyer due to her surly attitude in the courtroom.
- James has a surly attitude around everyone, but his mood changes when his daughter is around.
Meaning of Surly in Different Contexts
What is the biblical meaning of surly? Referencing the first book of Samuel, chapter 25 surly means someone who inclines to anger or has overtones of menace.
What is surly in biking? If you come across the word surly in biking, it refers to a company that makes bicycles.
What is surly in law? Surly in law refers to a bill that licenses beer manufacturers to sell their brew in the brewery. Without this license, breweries cannot sell their beer at the brewery.
Words Linked With the Word Surly
Some words are linked as synonyms, antonyms, or rhymes. We will expound on each category to help you understand what we are talking about.
Synonyms
Here are words with the same meaning as surly.
- Grumpy
- Boorish
- Moody
- Scowling
- Sour
- Crusty
- Ruthless
- Hard
- Brutal
- Fierce
- Stony
- Inflexible
- Fell
- Unyielding
- Feral
Antonyms
Here are words that have the opposite meaning to surly.
- Friendly
- Welcoming
- Open
- Social
- Polite
- Likable
- Sophisticated
- Benign
- Nice
- Calm
- Civil
- Level
- Assured
- Poised
- Steady
Rhymes
Here are words that have the same sound as surly.
- Early
- Curly
- Pearly
- Thirty
- Poorly
- Orly
- Purely
- Sparely
- Hourly
- Nearly
- Maturely
- Hurry
- Derby
- Curry
- Mercy
Words That People Confuse With Surly
Surly vs. unfriendly: Though surly and unfriendly are synonyms, they have slightly different meanings. Surly means displaying resentfulness or being bad-tempered, while unfriendly means someone marked by opposing or ill will.
Surly vs. ruthless: Surly and ruthless might be synonyms, but their meanings differ. Surly means mean or hostile, while ruthless means showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings.
Surly vs. surely: Since these two words have near spellings, most people use the words surly and surely interchangeably, intentionally or unintentionally. Either way, these words are different in that surly means someone bad-tempered or unfriendly while surely means certainly or without a doubt.
How to Use Surly in a Sentence
Surly is one of those English words that can be difficult to use in a sentence since it is both an adjective and an adverb. So, you need to be careful when constructing your sentences to ensure that they make sense.
Is Surly a Negative Word?
Surly means churlishly or bad-tempered, a type of behavior that people do not want to see or be associated with. So, this is a negative word used to describe a gruff, sullen, or ill-humored person, thing, or situation.
What Part of Speech is the Word Surly?
Surly can be an adjective or an adverb. As an adjective, it means threatening, arrogant, bad-tempered, and unfriendly. As an adverb, it means disdainfully or arrogantly. Let us look at some of the word forms from the parts of speech of the word surly.
Surlily: Surlily is the adverb form of surly. It means something or someone behaving in a churlish or surly manner. Here are example sentences:
- Christen surlily instructed the security to escort the intruder out of the event.
- After John’s surlily remarks about his brother, everyone knew they would have a visceral fight.
- The dull and surlily looking weather made the school council conceal the party.
Surliness: Surliness in plural surlinessess is the noun of the word surly. Here are example sentences:
- The surliness in the teacher’s tone scared the students.
- No one interrupted Jane during the meeting due to her surliness attitude, although everything she said was wrong.
- If you want to be part of this group, you should be ready to endure my surliness.
Other different word forms of surly include the following:
- Surlier: a comparative form of surly.
- Surliest: a superlative form of surly.
10 Examples of Surly in a Sentence
It can sometimes be challenging to learn and understand a new English word from its definition and meaning. So, to help you better understand the word surly, here are sentences constructed using this word to help you learn.
- The surly passenger yelled at the driver because he made a wrong turn.
- The usually cheerful chef can act surly if you do not compliment her.
- Atypical people who take coffee act surly in the morning before taking their first cup.
- He usually has a surly attitude each time after partying.
- Shes usually faced with derision, which explains her surly mood.
- My brother’s surly behavior lasted for years after his wife left her.
- Mike ran his errands with a surly because he knew he would get fired.
- They got told off for their audacious attitude, now he’s all surly about it.
- If you do not talk to your sales representative so that they can change their surly attitude, you might end up losing clients.
- We got served by a surly waiter whose attitude almost made us lose our appetite.
- She’s surly one minute and jovial the next, impossible to predict.
- Why are you looking so surly on this bright and beautiful day?
- The feeling of trepidation has everyone in a surly mood.
- Victor can indeed be surly sometimes, even without a valid reason.
How Do You Spell Surly?
“Surly,” the word’s proper spelling is “S.U.R.L.Y.”
English spellings can be difficult to understand and unless you take a keen interest, you might misspell your words. Some people confuse the last “y” and use “i.e.” Take note of this when spelling out the word.
Note that wrong spellings can make you look like an amateur or someone not serious about what they say. So, people will not give your message or the write-up the importance it deserves.
How Do You Pronounce Surly?
The correct pronunciation of “surly” is “such.lee.”
Start fast, slow down the pronunciation in the middle, and finish fast when pronouncing this word. It does not matter if English is your first or second language; without learning the proper pronunciation, people will not take anything you say seriously or give it the importance it deserves. If you want to be a pro in English, you must take the time to learn proper pronunciations.
How Many Syllables Are In Surly?
The word “surly” has two syllables divided as “sur and ly.” The stressed syllable of the word is “sur.”
History & Etymology of Surly
The history of the word “surly” is a fascinating one. The term is an alteration of “sirly,” which means “acting like a sir, haughty, or imperious.” The word has two origins: “sir” and “ly.”
Sir dates back to 1300, which means honor of knight or baronet. The word was also used as the title of the priest. People also embraced the word in respectful settings and as a salutation at the beginning of letters. The variety of this word is the sire.
Ly is a suffix that transforms nouns into adjectives. When you add -ly to a word, it gets the quality of the nature of the word.
When Was Surly First Used?
The first use of the word “surly” is not clear, but records show that it must have been between 1560 and 1570. The main use of the word was to mean arrogant or lordly.
Conclusion
Now you can avoid using long words like “threatening in appearance” in your sentences and instead replace that phrase with the word “surly.” Use the word as a verb or an adjective and practice it by coming up with creative sentences. The only way to comprehend and understand “surly” is by understanding the surly definition, meaning, and usage in sentences.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.