surly

English

Etymology

16th-century alteration of sirly, from sir +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɜːli/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɝli/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)li

Adjective

surly (comparative surlier, superlative surliest)

1. Irritated, bad-tempered, unfriendly.
2. Threatening, menacing, gloomy.

   The surly weather put us all in a bad mood.

3. (obsolete) Lordly, arrogant, supercilious.

Derived terms

• surlily
• surliness

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

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)

(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)

Adverb

surly (comparative surlier, superlative surliest)

1. (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[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:

     Against the Capitol I met a lion / Who glazed upon me, and went surly by / Without annoying me […]

Middle English

Adverb

surly

1. Alternative form of surely