churlish
/ˈtʃəːlɪʃ
/adjective
Rude in a mean-spirited and surly way: it seems churlish to complain...
- Kids today are rude, surly and churlish - but not ours any more.
- Once you turn 30, if you chase someone to repay the tenner you lent them, you look mean-spirited and churlish.
- The empirical basis of his work is sound and it would be churlish to complain of the absence of any overarching theory.
Synonyms
rude, ill-mannered, discourteous, impolite, ungracious, unmannerly, uncivil, ungentlemanly, ungallant, unchivalrous;
ill-bred, boorish, oafish, loutish;
mean-spirited, ill-tempered, unkind, inconsiderate, uncharitable;
ill-humoured, surly, sullen
informal ignorant
Derivatives
churlishly
/ adverb ...- With a few heartwarming exceptions, these workers are churlishly protective of their narrow self-interest.
- The King, although granting Chardin a pension, churlishly bundled Chardin's pictures, which now grace the walls of the Louvre, into a cupboard at Versailles.
- Houllier lamented, somewhat churlishly: ‘Referees get you the sack in this game, not players.’
churlishness
/ noun ...- Rory's churlishness doesn't keep his family from rushing to his hospital bedside, however.
- As a professor, it would be the height of churlishness to complain about such industrious habits.
- This dispelled my churlishness and the rest of the route through the grounds and lovely farmland was much enjoyed.
Origin
Old English cierlisc, ceorlisc (see churl, -ish1).