petulant

[ pech-uh-luhnt ]

/ ˈpɛtʃ ə lənt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR petulant ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially over some trifling annoyance: a petulant toss of the head.

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Lincolnesque

without interest or significance; dull; insipid.

like or characteristic of Abraham Lincoln.

very high or tall; lofty.

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Words nearby petulant

petty officer, petty sessions, petty-fitzmaurice, petulance, petulancy, petulant, petunia, petuntse, petworth house, petén-itzá, petöfi

Origin of petulant

1590–1600; < Latin petulant- (stem of petulāns) impudent, akin to petere to seek, head for

SYNONYMS FOR petulant

irritable, peevish, fretful, pettish, touchy.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR petulant ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM petulant

pet·u·lant·ly, adverbun·pet·u·lant, adjectiveun·pet·u·lant·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for petulant

The slimy, childish, petulant Viserys starts off as a symbol of everything about Targaryen rule Westeros has rejected.
Who Died and Made You Khaleesi? Privilege, White Saviors, and the Elusive Male Feminist Who Doesn’t Suck|Arthur Chu|June 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Petulant billionaires singlehandedly funded rivals to Mitt Romney.
Speed Read: Kenneth Vogel’s ‘Big Money’ Shows How PACs Control Politics|William O’Connor|June 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They seem, in fact, like cranky, petulant children, coked to the gills.
Stacks: Hitting the Note with the Allman Brothers Band|Grover Lewis|March 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Homeland fans made ranting about the awfulness of petulant teen Dana Brody into a weekly celebratory ritual.
Is Marnie From ‘Girls’ the Worst Character on TV?|Kevin Fallon|February 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It was neither the first nor the last time Bieber would be characterized as a petulant, out-of-control little jerk.
Why Do You Hate Justin Bieber?|Rawiya Kameir|December 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A petulant quality came into the voice of the captain who gave commands.
Marching Men|Sherwood Anderson
And schooled herself into a fretful, petulant manner of indifference.
Aaron's Rod|D. H. Lawrence
In his amorous poetry, he has little passion or sensibility; but he is never free and petulant, never tedious, and never absurd.
Introduction to the Literature of Europe in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries, Vol. 2|Henry Hallam
He noted, too, that her gorgeous ash-blond hair had been carefully "done," piled in high masses above her petulant face.
The Winning Clue|James Hay, Jr.
Nobody called his attention to my better lyrical writings; I was described to him as a spoiled, petulant child of fortune.
The True Story of My Life|Hans Christian Andersen

British Dictionary definitions for petulant

petulant

/ (ˈpɛtjʊlənt) /

adjective

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

Derived forms of petulant

petulance or petulancy, nounpetulantly, adverb

Word Origin for petulant

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

petulant

adjective

QUIZZES

Words related to petulant

Words nearby petulant

Origin of petulant

SYNONYMS FOR petulant

OTHER WORDS FROM petulant

Example sentences from the Web for petulant

British Dictionary definitions for petulant

adjective

Derived forms of petulant

Word Origin for petulant