surliness
1
7.7
- noun
- /ˈsɜrliˌnɪs/
:
malhumor
- His constant surliness made it difficult for others to approach him.
- a reputation for surliness
Examples
-
I've had enough of your discourtesy and surliness... ...and so have the tenants in my building.
-
Nina seemed to fade in and out of surliness.
Fiction book (1991) -
Do you think that your surliness is the best way for you to get what you want?
-
Summer had had about enough of his surliness.
Fiction book (1995) -
Surliness runs in my family.
Fiction book (2001) -
And he had this, this surliness was a big part of his demeanor.
-
She put up with his surliness, his filth, and his noise because it gave her a sense of security.
Fiction book (1998) -
Edith Hollis was usually the model of brightness, but every so often the camera caught that edge of surliness.
Fiction book (1994) -
She knew that I could be brought out of my surliness, my seething anger at my father's constant vigilance, by a visit from the storytelling salesman.
Fiction book (1992) -
What makes the work of p107 the Polite Society necessary, he told Schmidt, is the sort of backsliding in considerate behavior that Margaret Thatcher was referring to when she said, "Graciousness is being replaced by surliness in much of everyday life."
Fiction book (1995)
Synonyms
9
5.4
Being unkind on purpose to other people
8
4.2
Being easily annoyed or quick to become angry
7
6.5
A habit of being unkind or cruel to other people
5
9.0
Being easily annoyed and acting childish
3
4.1
Lack of care for other people
2
8.0
Being very rude and annoying to other people
1
6.6
A rough, unfriendly way of speaking or acting
1
7.3
A tendency to become easily annoyed and impatient
1
3.9
A cold, not kind way of behaving toward other people
1
8.5
A habit of giving short, angry answers when annoyed
1
5.8
A cold, unfriendly feeling between people
1
7.7
A short, slightly rude way of speaking to someone
1
8.1
Rude behavior that shows you think you are better than others
1
8.1
A mocking way of speaking that shows dislike or disrespect
1
7.2
A cold, uncaring way of treating other people
1
8.2
A harsh, unkind way of speaking or acting
A quality of being unpleasant and hard to get along with that makes people avoid you
A habit of being bad-tempered and hard to get along with
Being easily annoyed and angry about small things in a childish way
A tendency to become angry easily
A harsh, unfriendly manner that hurts or upsets people
Being rude and not polite to other people
A lack of kindness or willingness to help others
Being unkind and cruel to other people on purpose
Showing strong dislike and no respect for a person or thing
Antonyms
How Unfriendly
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word surliness comes from surly, which once meant 'like a sir', meaning proud or lordly, and later changed to mean 'bad-tempered', perhaps because it sounded like sour. So, surliness is the quality of being 'bad-tempered' or 'unfriendly'.