How to Use surly in a Sentence

surly

adjective
  • The ones who did were a bit sour and surly.
    — Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
  • The 15-year-old is surly and hostile.
    — Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
  • But the surly mood in much of the nation is not to be ignored.
    — Jon Talton, The Seattle Times, 23 Dec. 2017
  • Lower back, hips and the top of his left foot led the ranks of the surly and sore.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Dec. 2021
  • But, last year, my career stalled and my kids became surly teenagers.
    — Jane Parker, Bon Appetit, 22 Mar. 2018
  • The rest of the time is spent in surly silence or at each other’s throats.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 21 Dec. 2021
  • The story of the maybe-couple’s lofty meet-cute had slipped the surly bonds of mirth.
    — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 6 July 2018
  • Once, Chow and Collins teased Young about his surly demeanor.
    — Greg Bishop, SI.com, 27 June 2017
  • Which meant bodyguards and sore losers—too many surly men walking around with guns in their pockets.
    — Colson Whitehead, The New Yorker, 19 July 2021
  • Such surly sentiments can persist right up to the moment the house lights dim.
    — Ben Brantley, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2020
  • Of course, the woman instantly falls for a man who’s surly or shy toward her.
    — Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Mar. 2018
  • Now 82 years old, Chase comes off as a surly, forgetful man.
    — Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Which will be the first nation to break the surly bonds of earth and touch the face of capitalism?
    — Michelle Legro, Longreads, 18 Sep. 2017
  • He’s been labeled — anonymously, of course — as ornery on the course and surly in the clubhouse.
    — Roy Bragg, San Antonio Express-News, 10 Apr. 2018
  • That’s his whole reason for being morose and surly to everyone his whole life.
    — Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 June 2025
  • The place was packed, and Silva wasn’t getting anywhere with a surly waitress.
    — Alex Barasch, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023
  • The surly fans at Soldier Field will have something to cheer there for the first time in more than a month.
    — Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, 6 Nov. 2019
  • Trolling, today, having slipped the surly bonds of 4chan, is no longer subculture.
    — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024
  • Teenagers come and go in surly waves, and the LAPD rousts a man who has fallen asleep.
    — Nathan Deuel, Los Angeles Magazine, 21 May 2018
  • Only this time, the cheerleader and the zombie are camp counselors for a group of surly vampires.
    — Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Or a surly, vengeful Robin Hood, by Kevin Costner.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2026
  • The police chief must team with a marine biologist and a surly shark hunter to stop the beast's reign of terror.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Brady himself has seemed extra surly since Sunday’s win over the Eagles.
    — Andy Nesbitt, For The Win, 22 Nov. 2019
  • Hong describes a visit to a nail salon, where a surly Vietnamese teen-age boy gives her a painful pedicure.
    — Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2020
  • Moss, with her surly, almost witchy demeanor, initially plays Shirley as the latter.
    — Anne Cohen, refinery29.com, 8 June 2020
  • When Woods was dominating the world golf scene, he was considered to be distant and surly.
    — Roy Bragg, San Antonio Express-News, 3 May 2018
  • The state capital of North Dakota feels more like a small town than a surly legislative city.
    — Lisa Davis, chicagotribune.com, 14 May 2018
  • Heathcliff is surly, cruel, and vindictive.
    — Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 12 Feb. 2026
  • Consider that surly, irrational people quite often are acting from their own pain.
    — Paul Prather, Arkansas Online, 15 Nov. 2025
  • One of the teams that wanted Mays – one of the best pitchers in the league but a surly teammate - was the Indians.
    — Marc Bona, cleveland, 15 Aug. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'surly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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