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surly. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
surly, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
surly in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
surly you have here. The definition of the word
surly will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
surly, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
16th-century alteration of sirly, from sir + -ly.
Pronunciation
Adjective
surly (comparative surlier, superlative surliest)
- Irritated, bad-tempered, unfriendly.
- Threatening, menacing, gloomy.
The surly weather put us all in a bad mood.
- (obsolete) Lordly, arrogant, supercilious.
Derived terms
Translations
irritated, bad-tempered, unfriendly
- Bulgarian: навъсен (bg) (navǎsen), нацупен (bg) (nacupen)
- Catalan: malcarat, sorrut (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 粗暴 (zh) (cūbào), 無禮／无礼 (zh) (wúlǐ), 乖戾 (zh) (guāilì)
- Czech: nevrlý, nepříjemný (cs), mrzutý (cs)
- Dutch: knorrig (nl), bars (nl), onbeleefd (nl)
- Esperanto: malafabla
- Finnish: hapan (fi), pahantuulinen (fi), töykeä (fi)
- French: grognon (fr), grincheux (fr), impoli (fr)
- German: mürrisch (de), unwirsch (de), missmutig (de), verdrießlich (de), griesgrämig (de), grämlich, ruppig (de), knurrig, barsch (de), unfreundlich (de), übellaunig (de), bärbeißig (de)
- Irish: mosach, bodúil, dorrga
- Italian: scontroso (it)
- Maori: ngākaukawa, tukumaru
- Plautdietsch: brumsch
- Portuguese: rabugento (pt) m
- Romanian: posac (ro)
- Russian: угрю́мый (ru) (ugrjúmyj), серди́тый (ru) (serdítyj), гру́бый (ru) (grúbyj), неприве́тливый (ru) (neprivétlivyj)
- Scottish Gaelic: gruamach
- Spanish: irritado (es), malhumorado (es), inamistoso, hosco (es)
- Welsh: sarrug (cy), afrywiog
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threatening, menacing, gloomy
- Bulgarian: груб (bg) (grub), заплашителен (bg) (zaplašitelen)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 陰鬱／阴郁 (zh) (yīnyù)
- Dutch: bedreigend (nl), bars (nl), mistroostig (nl)
- Finnish: uhkaava (fi)
- French: menaçant (fr), rude (fr), morne (fr)
- German: grob (de), düster (de), rau (de), bedrohlich (de), drohend (de), traurig (de), bedrückend (de), finster (de), trübselig (de), trübsinnig (de), bedrückend (de)
- Russian: угрожа́ющий (ru) (ugrožájuščij), гро́зный (ru) (gróznyj)
- Scottish Gaelic: gruamach
- Spanish: amenazante (es)
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(obsolete) lordly, arrogant, supercilious
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 傲慢的 (zh) (àomàn de)
- Dutch: arrogant (nl), bazig (nl)
- Finnish: koppava (fi), pöyhkeä (fi)
- French: arrogant (fr), autoritaire (fr)
- German: überheblich (de), arrogant (de), hochmütig (de), hochnäsig (de), herablassend (de), anmaßend (de), gebieterisch (de)
- Russian: надме́нный (ru) (nadménnyj), спеси́вый (ru) (spesívyj), высокоме́рный (ru) (vysokomérnyj)
- Spanish: arrogante (es)
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Adverb
surly (comparative surlier, superlative surliest)
- (obsolete) In an arrogant or supercilious manner.
1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :Against the Capitol I met a lion / Who glazed upon me, and went surly by / Without annoying me […]
Middle English
Adverb
surly
- Alternative form of surely