Etymology dictionary. 2014.
Surly — Sur ly, a. [Compar. {Surlier}; superl. {Surliest}.] [Probably from sir, and originally meaning, sirlike, i.e., proud. See {Sir}, and {Like}, a.] 1. Arrogant; haughty. [Obs.] Cotgrave. [1913 Webster] 2. Gloomily morose; ill natured, abrupt, and… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Surly — is an English word meaning gruff, rude, or ill tempered. It may also refer to:* Surly (band), an alternative rock band from Limerick City, Ireland * In The Simpsons , Surly is one of the Seven Duffs. * Surly Bikes, Bloomington, MN, USA. * Surly… … Wikipedia
surly — index fractious, froward, harsh, impertinent (insolent), perverse, petulant, resentful Burton s Legal Thes … Law dictionary
surly — morose, glum, *sullen, crabbed, sulky, saturnine, dour, gloomy Analogous words: *rude, ungracious, ill mannered, discourteous: boorish, churlish (see under BOOR): snappish, waspish, fractious, *irritable Antonyms: amiable Contrasted words:… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
surly — [adj] gruff, bearish boorish, brusque, churlish, cross, crusty, curmudgeonly, discourteous, dour, fractious, glum, grouchy, ill mannered, ill natured, irritable, morose, perverse, rude, saturnine, sulky, sullen, testy, ugly, uncivil, ungracious;… … New thesaurus
surly — ► ADJECTIVE (surlier, surliest) ▪ bad tempered and unfriendly. DERIVATIVES surlily adverb surliness noun. ORIGIN originally in the sense «lordly, haughty»: from obsolete sirly, from SIR(Cf. ↑sir) … English terms dictionary
surly — [sʉr′lē] adj. surlier, surliest [earlier sirly, masterful, imperious < sir,SIR] 1. bad tempered; sullenly rude; hostile and uncivil 2. gloomy and threatening: said of weather 3. Obs. haughty; arrogant surlily adv. surliness n … English World dictionary
surly — surlily, adv. surliness, n. /serr lee/, adj., surlier, surliest. 1. churlishly rude or bad tempered: a surly waiter. 2. unfriendly or hostile; menacingly irritable: a surly old lion. 3. dark or dismal; menacing; threatening: a surly sky. 4. Obs.… … Universalium
surly — UK [ˈsɜː(r)lɪ] / US [ˈsɜrlɪ] adjective Word forms surly : adjective surly comparative surlier superlative surliest unfriendly and rude a waiter with a surly attitude … English dictionary
surly — adjective (surlier; est) Etymology: alteration of Middle English serreli lordly, imperious, probably from sire, ser sire Date: 1523 1. menacing or threatening in appearance < surly weather > 2. obsolete arrogant, imperious 3. irritably sullen and … New Collegiate Dictionary
