sur·ly

[sur-lee]
adjective, sur·li·er, sur·li·est.
1.
churlishly rude or bad-tempered: a surly waiter. sullen, uncivil, brusque, irascible, splenetic, choleric, cross; grumpy, grouchy, crabby.
2.
unfriendly or hostile; menacingly irritable: a surly old lion. threatening, malevolent.
3.
dark or dismal; menacing; threatening: a surly sky. ominous.
4.
Obsolete. lordly; arrogant.

Origin:
1560–70; spelling variant of obsolete sirly lordly, arrogant, equivalent to sir + -ly

sur·li·ly, adverb
sur·li·ness, noun
un·sur·li·ly, adverb
un·sur·li·ness, noun
un·sur·ly, adjective


Glum, morose, sullen, dour, surly all are adjectives describing a gloomy, unsociable attitude. Glum describes a depressed, spiritless condition or manner, usually temporary rather than habitual: a glum shrug of the shoulders; a glum, hopeless look in his eye. Morose, which adds to glum a sense of bitterness, implies a habitual and pervasive gloominess: a sour, morose manner; morose withdrawal from human contact. Sullen usually implies reluctance or refusal to speak accompanied by glowering looks expressing anger or a sense of injury: a sullen manner, silence, look. Dour refers to a stern and forbidding aspect, stony and unresponsive: dour rejection of friendly overtures. Surly implies gruffness of speech and manner, usually accompanied by an air of injury and ill temper: a surly reply.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Surly is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
Collins
World English Dictionary
surly (ˈsɜːlɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj , -lier, -liest
1.  sullenly ill-tempered or rude
2.  (of an animal) ill-tempered or refractory
3.  dismal
4.  obsolete arrogant
 
[C16: from obsolete sirly haughty; see sir]
 
'surlily
 
adv
 
'surliness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

surly
1566, "lordly, majestic," alteration of M.E. sirly "lordly, imperious" (14c.), from sir. The meaning "rude, gruff" is first attested 1670. For sense development, cf. lordly, and Ger. herrisch "domineering, imperious," from Herr "master, lord."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
He's been surly, sulky, nasty and over the top in belittling you.
Nevertheless they tease and worry, poke and tickle the animal continually, so
  that he is surly and snappish.
She becomes withdrawn and surly, and in meetings she is distracted and becomes
  belligerent when asked a question.
The burgers got their nickname after a tourist wrote to the local paper
  complaining about surly service.
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