What context can I use each word in?
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
surlily
Example
He responded surlily when asked about his day. [surlily: adverb]
Example
She gave me a surlily look when I asked her for help. [surlily: adjective]
testily
Example
He answered testily when asked the same question for the third time. [testily: adverb]
Example
She spoke testily to the customer service representative on the phone. [testily: adverb]
Good things to know
Which word is more common?
Testily is more commonly used than surlily in everyday language. Testily is versatile and covers a wide range of contexts, while surlily is less common and may be considered outdated in some contexts.
What’s the difference in the tone of formality between surlily and testily?
Both surlily and testily are informal words and are not typically used in formal contexts. However, testily may be considered slightly more formal than surlily due to its more modern usage.
