Surliness

Pronunciation: /ˈsɜrlinəs/

Definitions of surliness

noun a quality of being unfriendly or rude in a bad-tempered way

Example Sentences

A1 The customer service representative's surliness made the customer feel unwelcome.

A2 His surliness towards his colleagues was evident in his short responses and lack of eye contact.

B1 The manager's surliness towards the employees was affecting morale in the workplace.

B2 Her surliness towards the new team members was creating a negative atmosphere within the group.

C1 Despite his surliness, the CEO was respected for his decisive leadership.

C2 The professor's surliness towards students who didn't meet his expectations was well-known throughout the university.

Examples of surliness in a Sentence

formal The customer was taken aback by the surliness of the salesperson.

informal His surliness really put a damper on the party.

slang I can't stand her constant surliness, it's so annoying.

figurative The dark clouds overhead seemed to mirror his surliness.

Grammatical Forms of surliness

• plural: surlinesses
• comparative: more surly
• superlative: most surly
• present tense: is surly
• future tense: will be surly
• perfect tense: has been surly
• continuous tense: is being surly
• singular: surliness
• positive degree: surly
• infinitive: to be surly
• gerund: being surly
• participle: surly

Origin and Evolution of surliness

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Middle English

Story behind the word: The word 'surliness' originated from the Middle English word 'surly', which was derived from the Old French word 'surlie' meaning fierce or arrogant.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the meaning of 'surliness' has evolved to refer to a bad-tempered or unfriendly attitude, rather than just fierceness or arrogance.