Meaning & use
Surliness
Last updated
The quality of being bad-tempered, rude, or unfriendly in manner.
See it in a sentence
The waiter's surliness put a damper on an otherwise pleasant dinner.
Her surliness in the mornings was well known to her coworkers.
A note on using this word
From 'surly,' which originally meant 'lordly' or 'arrogant' before shifting to its modern sense of being sullen and rude.
Words with a similar meaning
rudenessgrumpiness
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
cheerfulnessfriendliness
Make it your own
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