Surlinesses [noun]

Yes, but surliness might have provoked a point-blank question.

"These be some of my investments," he answered, with just a tinge of surliness.

He made no friends, and though his surliness repelled us, he made few enemies.

His normal easygoing manner was broken by periods of surliness.

Surliness in excess they might have, but dignity, not at all.

"No such purpose had I," the Jotun said with a touch of surliness.

But he felt neither weariness nor impatience, neither regret nor surliness.

Surliness or moroseness is incompatible also with politeness.

It was the surliness of his tone, rather than the words themselves, that startled her.

While he exposes the weakness of human nature, he does not do so in surliness; a pleasant smile wreathes his lips all the while.