as in sulkiness
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Recent Examples of surliness
Dani’s surliness has evaporated.
—
David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The Dolphins knew in the spring that Jalen Ramsey’s tardiness and surliness did not fit the culture that the organization wanted to build.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surliness
Noun
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True, its narrative was hard to follow, its dialogue abstruse, but why the petulance?—
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So there’s a feeling of vindictiveness and petulance that’s in there, but there’s also a practicality to it, too.—
Noun
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Vince Gilligan moved to Apple and returned to his X-Files roots for the sci-fi horror dramatic comedy Pluribus, which used its ultra-mysterious and yet ultra-familiar genre trappings for a droll meditation on the eternal clash between collective joy and individual grouchiness.—
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Emily is also struggling with Annabelle, who has inherited her mom’s attitude and the grouchiness of any adolescent forced to grow up with an Evolution Media camera crew in her home.—
Noun
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While largely benign, motion sickness can be highly unpleasant — often causing nausea, vomiting, and dizziness, as well as sweating, headache, and irritability in some cases.—
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Flu can impact children differently and present more general symptoms like irritability and general fussiness, or ear and stomach pain.—
Noun
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The most common symptoms of teething include drooling, putting fingers or fists in their mouth, swollen or puffy gums, difficulty sleeping, crankiness and fussiness, per the institution.—
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At one point, her crankiness about being underappreciated for her domestic efforts is blamed, without irony, on her period.—
Noun
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Corbett said the testiness started in Florida and returned with the team to Charlotte.—
Noun
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Advocates of trade barriers against China cite the country’s poor human rights record and its belligerence toward neighbors.—
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On social media, Tan was pugilistic to the point of belligerence, casting his political enemies as corrupt malefactors responsible for the despoliation of his beloved city.—
Noun
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Use disposable products like gauze or cotton swabs to gently remove build-up or crustiness.—
Cite this Entry
“Surliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surliness. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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