Definitions
- Describing someone's behavior or attitude when they are in a bad mood or feeling irritated. - Referring to someone who is being rude or unfriendly towards others. - Talking about someone who is showing displeasure or dissatisfaction in their tone or mannerisms.
- Describing someone's behavior or attitude when they are easily annoyed or impatient. - Referring to someone who is being snappy or irritable towards others. - Talking about someone who is showing frustration or annoyance in their tone or mannerisms.
List of Similarities
- 1Both words describe negative behavior or attitudes.
- 2Both words can be used to describe someone's tone or mannerisms.
- 3Both words indicate a lack of patience or tolerance.
- 4Both words can be used to describe someone's response to a situation or question.
- 5Both words have negative connotations.
What is the difference?
- 1Mood: Surlily implies a bad mood or irritation, while testily implies impatience or annoyance.
- 2Intensity: Testily is more intense than surlily and suggests a higher level of irritation or frustration.
- 3Tone: Surlily suggests a rude or unfriendly tone, while testily suggests a snappy or irritable tone.
- 4Usage: Surlily is less common than testily and may be considered outdated in some contexts.
Remember this!
Surlily and testily are synonyms that describe negative behavior or attitudes. However, surlily implies a bad mood or irritation, while testily implies impatience or annoyance. Additionally, testily is more intense and suggests a higher level of frustration than surlily. While both words have negative connotations, testily is more commonly used and may be considered more modern than surlily.
