petulant

[pech-uh-luhnt]

adjective

1. moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially over some trifling annoyance.

   a petulant toss of the head.

   Synonyms: touchy, pettish, fretful, peevish, irritable

petulant

/ ˈpɛtjʊlənt /

adjective

1. irritable, impatient, or sullen in a peevish or capricious way

Other Word Forms

• petulantly adverb
• unpetulant adjective
• petulance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of petulant¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin petulant- (stem of petulāns ) “impudent,” akin to petere “to seek, head for”

Word History and Origins

Origin of petulant¹

C16: via Old French from Latin petulāns bold, from petulāre (unattested) to attack playfully, from petere to assail

Example Sentences

Nixon may have been paranoid but at least he didn’t sound like a petulant teenager.

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“While our improper payments will go up, and fraudsters may compromise identities, no money will go from the public trust to a petulant child.”

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“Daddy” pretends to be powerful, but only to mask that he has nothing to offer but petulant aggression toward those who can’t fight back.

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With actress Julie Christie or supermodel Jean Shrimpton on his arm, he specialised in playing sophisticated villains: including Superman's arch nemesis, General Zod, and the petulant Sergeant Troy in Far From the Madding Crowd.

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After spending the last six months stuck to Donald Trump like quick-drying cement, Elon Musk is backing away from politics and sounding mighty petulant about the whole thing.

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Related Words

• cranky 
• fractious 
• impatient 
• irritable 
• perverse 
• sullen 
• testy 
• whiny