Definitions
- Describing someone who is unfriendly, rude, or bad-tempered. - Referring to a person who is uncooperative or difficult to deal with. - Talking about a person who is grumpy or unpleasant in their behavior or attitude.
- Describing someone who is irritable, argumentative, or ill-tempered. - Referring to a person who is easily annoyed or angered. - Talking about a person who is disagreeable or difficult to get along with.
List of Similarities
- 1Both words describe negative personality traits.
- 2Both words suggest an unpleasant or difficult person to deal with.
- 3Both words can be used to describe a person's behavior or attitude.
- 4Both words have negative connotations.
What is the difference?
- 1Intensity: Cantankerous is more intense than surly and suggests a more extreme level of irritability or bad temper.
- 2Usage: Surly is more commonly used than cantankerous in everyday language.
- 3Connotation: Cantankerous implies a more long-standing and chronic negative attitude, while surly can be more situational and temporary.
Remember this!
Surly and cantankerous are synonyms that describe negative personality traits. However, cantankerous is a more intense version of surly, suggesting a more extreme level of irritability or bad temper. While surly is more commonly used in everyday language, cantankerous implies a more long-standing and chronic negative attitude.
