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Definition of "surly" [sur•ly]

  • Sullenly ill-humored; gruff. (adjective)
  • Threatening, as of weather conditions; ominous: surly clouds filled the sky. (adjective)
  • Obsolete Arrogant; domineering. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "surly" in a sentence
  • "In no way a cuddly cowboy Woody, Josh Brolin as the title surly supernatural gunslinger is a very different kind of settler dodging bullets across the wild west, or rather deep south, settling old scores and new ones that may not have even arrived,"
  • "Sam swiped his hands through the tight curls on his head, his expression surly."
  • "* I hadn't spent a considerable amount of time around this team since the summer of 2007, when a certain surly left fielder was taking aim at the all-time home run record, and let's suffice it to say the clubhouse is very different now."