surly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It’s not hard to see why Platner is so surly in his 11-minute Wednesday video announcing that he would end his campaign.
From Slate ● Jul. 11, 2026
Beca is a surly delinquent of questionable judgment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
I recommend creating a “go box” for your family to have when you slip these surly bonds of earth.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 20, 2025
When reporters learned his cousin Buono was his suspected accomplice, they drove to Glendale but found him a surly subject.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2025
A surly old man stood above him, scowling down.
From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers
He was a surly, proud character who only got surlier and prouder in his old age.
From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2020
As you enjoy your coq au vin this summer in a quaint Parisian bistro, you may find the staff even surlier than usual.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2014
After another pricey ride with an even surlier cab driver, our first night at Book Expo was drawing to a close.
From Time ● May 30, 2013
Even without the cachet of the Big Apple or the championship pedigree of at least one of the teams, Chicago’s intra-city rivalry may be the surlier of the two.
From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2011
So his take-home pay was getting smaller, and his mother, in turn, was getting surlier.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Or April 20, 1991, when the cast of “Saturday Night Live” had to put up with the surliest, unfunniest host in the show’s history: wooden action star Steven Seagal.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 5, 2021
The other is the latest, and perhaps surliest, entry in the crowded field of shows about teens trying to fit in.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2021
To be fair, the surliest cities also tend to be the biggest and most fast-paced, which may give visitors an air of indifference—whether it’s intentional or not.
From Time ● Aug. 13, 2015
At the end of the Kettleman’s story arc, the great Jonathan Banks gets to do something besides be the world’s surliest parking attendant.
From Forbes ● Feb. 17, 2015
Old Tiney, surliest of his kind, Who, nursed with tender care, And to domestic bounds confined, Was still a wild Jack hare.
From The Land of Song, Book II For lower grammar grades by Various
Vocabulary lists containing surly
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 7
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