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 (de), 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), morocănos (ro) m
- Russian: угрю́мый (ru) (ugrjúmyj), серди́тый (ru) (serdítyj), гру́бый (ru) (grúbyj), неприве́тливый (ru) (neprivétlivyj)
- Scottish Gaelic: gruamach
- Spanish: irritado (es), malhumorado (es), inamistoso, hosco (es), fosco (es), chúcaro (es) (South America), arisco (es), cardo (es) m (noun), moshudo (Guatemala)
- 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[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
- alternative form of surely