Etymology
Origin of petulance
First recorded in 1600–10, petulance is from the Latin word petulantia impudence. See petulant, -ance
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Musk’s petulance doesn’t demand a great deal of investigation.
From Barron's
There was petulance over a number of attempts to get the ball changed - at one point Pant threw it away after being denied by umpire Paul Reiffel.
From BBC
The question, according to Rebecca Roiphe, a law professor at New York University, is whether Costello’s in-court petulance will be remembered when jurors begin to deliberate as soon as next week.
From Salon
She sings, "Now I'm down bad crying at the gym. Everything comes out teenage petulance."
From Salon
The trial’s opening act will likely feature much the same brand of petulance and vituperation from the defendant, now redirected to the jury selection process.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
